ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine TB

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research he has collated on illegal culling of badgers.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 5 June 2006
	The Department has not collated any research on the illegal culling of badgers. However, as part of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial, any evidence of suspected unlawful activity against badgers was reported to the police. Further information is available on the Defra website:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/culling/p5prog.htm#suspect.

Bovine TB

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what price difference there is between the Dutch Lelystad tuberculin and the Weybridge VLAs tuberculin.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 5 June 2006
	It is not possible to make a meaningful comparison of the costs of materials supplied to Government by Government Agencies and those supplied by commercial operators.
	In relation to tuberculin supplies, strict quality and licensing conditions must be adhered to and contracts must follow procurement guidelines, which ensure amongst other things, value for money.

Bovine TB

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many bovine tuberculosis tests on average are administered to a cow in the course of its lifetime; and what proportion of cows he estimates are never tested in their lifetime.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 5 June 2006
	The frequency of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) herd testing is determined by EU legislation but this does not establish the frequency of tests on individual cattle. In Great Britain, cattle herds are tested every one, two, three or four years depending on how widespread bTB is in their respective regions; these frequencies are reviewed on an annual basis. The percentage of herds and parishes being tested annually has increased over the last few years; currently, about 25 per cent. of herds are tested annually and another 14 per cent. are tested every two years. In 2005, approximately 43,500 herd tests were carried out on 4.85 million cattle.
	An analysis of bTB testing coverage in the GB cattle population has been carried out by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and published in the Proceedings of the Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine 2006(1). The findings from this preliminary work showed that 71 per cent. to 85 per cent. of the cattle included in the study appeared not to have been bTB tested during their lifetimes. However, it should be noted that the study included cattle which had lived through the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak when bTB testing was severely disrupted.
	Many of the animals not being tested do not present a disease control risk. For example, some animals in low risk herds are slaughtered prior to a herd test becoming due. However, we accept that a small percentage of animals missing a bTB test may present a disease risk. Defra is supporting further work in this area.
	Recent policy changes should have a positive effect on the percentage of animals being tested during their lifetimes, such as the introduction of zero tolerance for overdue herd tests and pre-movement testing for animals moving out of high risk herds.
	In addition to live skin testing of cattle, the bTB surveillance programme is supplemented by statutory inspection of cattle carcases at slaughterhouses by the Meat Hygiene Service.
	(1) An analysis of Single Intradermal Comparative Cervical Test (SICCT) coverage in the GB cattle population by A P Mitchell, L E Green, R Clifton-Hadley, J Mawdsley, R Sayers and G F Medley. Proceedings of the Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine 2006 pp 70-86.

Bovine TB

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish the results of the tests using the Lelystad tuberculin on cattle.

Ben Bradshaw: The use of Lelystad tuberculin is being closely monitored by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency. They are providing regular reports to my officials and I will announce any significant findings.

Teacher Training

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Training and Development Agency on ensuring that all teachers have the required skills to provide high quality field courses.

Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
	Both the existing and proposed standards for teachers have been the subject of considerable discussion between the Department and the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). Both sets of standards require teachers to demonstrate their skills with reference to out of school contexts.
	The Department has co-funded a research project with the Countryside Agency and the Field Studies Council into the extent and nature of training in education outside the classroom (including field studies) in initial teacher training provision. We consulted TDA as part of our preparations for the project.

TRANSPORT

Civil Service Secondments

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the arrangements are for paying officials from the Department who are on secondment in the private sector.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 5 June 2006
	The standard arrangements are for officials to be paid from a centrally held secondment budget, with the Department invoicing the external organisation for recovery of costs.

Civil Service Secondments

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials from his Department and its predecessor have been seconded to the Confederation for Passenger Transport since 2001.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 5 June 2006
	There has been one secondment to the Confederation of Passenger Transport since the Department for Transport was formed in May 2002.

Civil Service Secondments

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average length of secondment for civil service staff from his Department was in the last 5 years.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 5 June 2006
	The average length of secondment in the last 5 years has been just over 26 months.

EasyJet

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what investigations his Department has made into the air worthiness of the EasyJet aircraft scheduled to fly from Belfast International to London at 9.25 pm on Saturday 27 May.

Gillian Merron: The Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for the day-to-day safety oversight of UK-registered aircraft.
	The Authority has received no report of any problem with the airworthiness of the relevant aircraft under its Mandatory Occurrence Reporting scheme and has therefore not launched any investigation.

Road Traffic Regulations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the operation of section  (a) 54 and  (b) 62 of the Road Traffic (Offenders) Act 1988; what recent representations he has received about the operation of this Act; if he will place in the Library copies of such representations; and if he has any plans to (i) amend and (ii) repeal this Act.

Vernon Coaker: I have been asked to reply.
	I have received no recent representations about this Act, which there are no plans to repeal.
	The Government do not however propose to introduce a Graduated Fixed Penalty and Deposit Scheme. This would amend Part III of the Act, in which the sections referred to are located and which deals with the fixed penalty system for motoring offences. The proposals are contained in the Road Safety Bill, currently before Parliament.
	The new Scheme would allow for a graduated system of fixed penalties for traffic and roadworthiness offences, so that the level of penalty would vary according to the level of offence severity and number of offences committed. There would also be new arrangements for enforcement examiners of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to issue fixed penalty notices.
	There would also be a provision for the taking of deposits, similar to arrangements in many other EU countries. This would require drivers without satisfactory proof of an address in the UK to make an immediate payment at the roadside at the time the offence is committed. The deposit would be returned if the driver was subsequently found innocent by the Courts.

DEFENCE

Aircraft

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to sign the production contract for the Hawk Mk128.

Adam Ingram: Development of the Hawk 128 aircraft is progressing under a design and development contract. Negotiations are continuing with BAES on a production contract.

Aircraft

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what defensive measures military helicopters carry in operational areas.

Adam Ingram: Military helicopters are equipped with a variety of defensive measures, appropriate to the level of threat presented by each operation. These may include missile approach warning systems in combination with directional or non-directional infra red counter measure jammers and/or mixtures of dispensable counter measures. It would not be appropriate to identify the specific measures employed currently in operational areas as this could prejudice the security of the UK's armed forces.

Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been since 2003 of  (a) purchasing and  (b) refurbishing Puma helicopters from South Africa.

Adam Ingram: Since 2003 spending on the Puma helicopters from South Africa has been as follows:
	 (a) Purchase costs: £0
	 (b) Refurbishing costs: £14.67 million

Armed Forces (Foreign Citizens)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision is made for citizens of overseas countries serving in HM armed forces to renew in the UK their visas or leave to remain rather than being required to return to their country of origin to do so; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	This question has been passed to me as the Minister responsible for Immigration. Foreign and Commonwealth citizens serving in Her Majesty's forces do not require leave to enter or leave to remain in the United Kingdom. Upon enlistment in Her Majesty's forces, foreign and Commonwealth nationals become exempt from immigration control by virtue of section 8(4) of the Immigration Act 1971. This exemption from immigration control applies throughout their service and only ceases upon their discharge from Her Majesty's forces.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the budget for the Atomic Weapons Establishment was in each of the last 20 years.

Des Browne: The following table represents annual expenditure at the Atomic Weapons Establishment during the period of contractorisation (that is, from 1 April 1993 onwards). Costs prior to 1993 were not collected on the same basis and the detail of these, which would be necessary in order to analyse the financial data and establish verifiable comparisons, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Atomic Weapons Establishment annual expenditure (as at 31 March 2006, 2005-06 prices) 
			   £ million 
			 1993-94 299 
			 1994-95 383 
			 1995-96 387 
			 1996-97 340 
			 1997-98 367 
			 1998-99 336 
			 1999-2000 331 
			 2000-01 311 
			 2001-02 291 
			 2002-03 278 
			 2003-04 300 
			 2004-05 363 
			 2005-06 (Provisional) 493

Body Armour

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the manufacturer is of body armour used by UK forces in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has contracts with the following companies for the supply of body armour components used by the UK forces in Iraq and Afghanistan: NP Aerospace Limited, Seyntex NV, Aegis Engineering Limited and CQC Limited.

Defence Sector Employment

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many defence sector jobs there were in Dunfermline and West Fife in each year since 1997.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 25 May 2006
	The information is not held in the format requested. Information on Civilian staff is only held for Scotland as a whole and is given in Table 1. Data on military staff are broken down by local authority area, hence data are held for Fife but not specifically for Dunfermline and West Fife. The data available are provided in Table 2. Data for those employed in Defence-related industries are provided by the employers themselves.
	
		
			  Table 1: Civilian staff in Scotland by year 
			   Number of staff 
			 1997 10,130 
			 1998 9,980 
			 1999 9,690 
			 2000 9,650 
			 2001 9,650 
			 2002 8,830 
			 2003 7,300 
			 2004 7,310 
			 2005 6,970 
			 2006 6,930 
			  Notes:  Includes manually paid staff between 1999 and 2001. Data on manually paid staff before 1999 are not available, so estimates have been used. Civilian data are compiled from the various civilian personnel record systems in the MoD, principally those held by the Pay and Personnel Agency (PPA) and the Trading Funds. Differences in the way the personnel in different areas are managed and graded means that not all the data are fully consistent. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Military staff posted in Fife by year 
			   Number of staff 
			 1997 1,460 
			 1998 1,610 
			 1999 1,800 
			 2000 1,730 
			 2001 1,470 
			 2002 1,380 
			 2004 2,470 
			 2005 2,030 
			 2006 2,140 
			  Notes: Figures are for UK Regular Forces, both Trained and Untrained, located in the UK. They therefore exclude Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service personnel, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and mobilised reservists. Naval Service personnel on sea service are included against the local authority containing the home port of their ship. Naval Service personnel serving in flights at sea are included against the local authority containing the base airfield of their flight. The detailed figures have been compiled from unit statistics related to unit postcodes. For some units postcode information is either unavailable or inappropriate. Location statistics are not available for FTRS, the Home Service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment and Mobilised Reservists. These figures are taken from TSP 10: UK Regular Forces Distribution across the UK which shows the distribution of Service Personnel by Government Office Region/country, county and local authority area. The publication was suspended in October 2002 when a number of concerns were identified in both the source data and the programs used to produce the publication. It was reinstated in July 2004. Due to a different methodology figures before 2002 should not be compared to those after 2004.

Departmental Procurement

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made on the assessment of the core load required to sustain the  (a) high-end design,  (b) systems engineering and  (c) combat systems integration skills for surface ship design and build.

Adam Ingram: Good progress is being made on assessing the core workload required to sustain the key maritime industrial capabilities defined in the defence industrial strategy. This work is complex and is taking time to get right. Industry has been and will continue to be involved as this work develops.

Departmental Procurement

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made with negotiations to achieve a programme level partnering agreement with a single industrial entity for the full lifecycle of the submarine flotilla.

Adam Ingram: Following publication of the Defence Industrial Strategy White Paper, officials have been engaged in detailed discussions with industry on the scope of a possible Programme Level Partnering Agreement. Good progress has been made on clarifying MOD and industry positions. At this stage, no decisions have been made.

Galileo Project

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the capacity of the technology used for the Galileo project to be adapted for military use.

Adam Ingram: The MOD remains committed to the American global positioning system (GPS) to meet all of its military precision navigation and timing needs and as the NATO standard. Therefore we have no defence requirement against which to assess any potential national military utility of Galileo. While Galileo's open service, like that of GPS, can be accessed by all and therefore could be used by military forces, Galileo remains a civil system under civil control as was confirmed in the December 2004 EU Transport Council Conclusions.

Iraq/Afghanistan

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2005,  Official Report, column 2342W, on Iraq/Afghanistan, if he will keep the families of the dead soldiers informed of proceedings;
	(2)  when arrests will take place; which Iraqi police divisions will carry out the arrests; and whether British troops will be involved;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had with the central criminal court of Iraq on the incident at Al Majarr Al Kabir on 24 June 2003; who the members are of the central criminal court of Iraq investigating the incident; and which UK personnel will co-ordinate arrests.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary is keeping the families of the six Royal Military policemen killed at Al Majarr Al Kabir informed of the progress of the criminal case which rests with the Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI). The conduct of this case remains under the jurisdiction of the Iraqi authorities. It would be inappropriate to provide further details while the judicial process is in progress. We will continue to provide whatever assistance the CCCI needs.

Iraq/Afghanistan

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the threat to British troops in the Helmand province from Taliban forces operating in Quetta, Pakistan.

Adam Ingram: I am withholding our detailed assessment of the threat from the Taliban forces as its disclosure could compromise the security of UK and coalition forces operating in Southern Afghanistan.
	However, I can say that we do not judge the Taliban as a credible threat to the stability of Afghanistan while international security forces are providing support there. The Pakistan authorities have made extensive efforts to improve the rule of law in border areas and we will continue to work with them to combat the Taliban and other anti-government groups that oppose Afghanistan's peaceful reconstruction.

Iraq/Afghanistan

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1183, on Iraq, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of composite fibreglass in protecting the occupants of Land Rovers used by the British military for patrol purposes in Iraq.

Des Browne: holding answer 5 June 2006
	The overall protection level afforded by the Land Rover Snatch vehicles was assessed in March 2005 as part of a number of ongoing assessments to ensure the suitability of a range of equipment used on current operations. The results of these assessments are being withheld on the basis that disclosure of such information could prejudice the safety of the armed forces.

Iraq/Afghanistan

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British forces in Iraq have encountered the use against them of the RPG29 shoulder-fired weapon.

Adam Ingram: No.

Military Headquarter (Collocation)

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on progress with his plans for collocation of military headquarters.

Adam Ingram: All three services are currently merging or collocating their individual administrative and operational headquarters. This is part of the wider drive within MOD to streamline back-office functions so as to maximise investment in our front-line forces. The Royal Navy stood-up its new integrated headquarters on 1 April 2006. The programme was delivered on time and to budget. The Royal Air Force's collocation of the Strike and Personnel and Training Commands is progressing well: it is expected that the collocation of the main elements will stand-up at RAF High Wycombe on time, in October 2006. The Army's merger of Headquarters Land Command and Headquarters Adjutant General Command to create an integrated HQ at a single site by March 2009 is at an earlier stage of development.

Rifles Regiment (Durham)

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Durham outstation of the Rifles Regiment.

Adam Ingram: The Battalion Headquarters for 5 Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (Bn HQ 5 RRF) will remain in Durham for the foreseeable future. There are no plans for the Light Infantry (LI) (RIFLES) presence in Durham to change.

Search and Rescue

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with representatives from the  (a) sea fishing industry,  (b) mountain rescue service and  (c) recreational sea and coastal users organisations in respect of the proposal to operate UK search and rescue services under one private finance initiative contract.

Adam Ingram: The mountain rescue service has been kept informed through the Operators Group of the UK Search and Rescue Strategic Committee whose membership includes the Mountain Rescue Council of England and Wales and the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland. Specific discussions have not taken place with the wider public. The Operators Group, including the sea fishing industry and recreational and coastal users organisations, are now able, however, to access information on the progress of the future service through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency website. The Ministry of Defence and the Department for Transport are committed to delivering a future helicopter search and rescue service around the UK which is at least as effective as the current one.

Search and Rescue

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when decisions on  (a) specific aircraft,  (b) basing,  (c) contract duration and  (d) other residual matters will be taken in respect of the decision to operate UK search and rescue services through one private finance initiative contract.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have moved forward to the next stage of the future provision of helicopter search and rescue around the UK through a joint competition under the private finance initiative. The specific aircraft, future basing, contract duration and other residual matters will be fully assessed during this next stage. The final decisions on these issues will be taken in the light of the competition and confirmed through the main investment decision which will take place when matters are sufficiently mature.

Search and Rescue

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how capability to maintain  (a) real-life training experience for military personnel,  (b) counter-terrorism measures and  (c) transference of skills to combat search and rescue (SAR) for military crews will be maintained under the proposed single SAR private finance initiative contract for UK provision.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence and the Department for Transport have moved forward to the next stage of the future provision of helicopter search and rescue around the UK through a joint competition under the private finance initiative. Military aircrew continue to form part of the strategy for delivery of this future service. Real-life training experience will be provided for military aircrew both through the training they will undergo to fulfil this role and their operational experience. This in turn will continue to meet our policy of transferring skills to the deployable military forces. Counter-terrorism capabilities will also continue and will be provided by equally capable military units in the future.

Search and Rescue

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with other emergency services in respect of proposals to run the search and rescue service under a single private finance initiative contract.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence and the Department for Transport are committed to delivering a future search and rescue service around the UK which is at least as effective as the current one. Other emergency service providers have been kept informed through the UK Search and Rescue Strategic Committee and its operators' group.

Shoeburyness Site

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the  (a) detonations and  (b) explosions that took place at the Shoeburyness site in the last five years were as a result of (i) equipment and (ii) munitions being tested; and what percentage were as a result of munitions being disposed of at the end of their life.

Adam Ingram: This information is not held in the format requested. Under the terms of the Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) with MOD, QinetiQ are tasked with the disposal of 3,000 tonnes NEQ of life expired munitions each year. Of this, only three per cent. is disposed of by open detonation.

Theatre Missile Defence

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to decide on the need for theatre missile defences; and what expenditure on research and technology appraisal of such defences has been incurred.

Des Browne: NATO Heads of State and Government agreed at the Istanbul Summit in June 2004 to the principle of NATO Theatre Missile Defence (TMD) and the Alliance has since embarked on a programme to acquire a TMD capability to protect deployed forces by 2010. The United Kingdom supports this NATO programme.
	UK national expenditure on research into ballistic missile defence is now focussed on longer range threats, and expenditure since 2004 has totalled some £8.1 million. For detailed information on expenditure prior to 2004, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer which my right hon. Friend, the then Secretary of State, gave to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch) on 19 January 2004,  Official Report, column 918W.

Type 45 Destroyers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 3 May 2006 to Question reference 67921, on Type 45 destroyers, what factors will determine when the appropriate time will be for the giving of formal approval for ships seven and eight.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 17 May 2006
	A number of factors will determine when formal approval for ships seven and eight will be sought. These will include reaching agreement on the optimal commercial arrangements for the Type 45 programme and reaching agreement with industry on pricing that enables the Department to demonstrate the value for money and affordability of the ships.

UN Security Council Resolution 1325

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2002).

Adam Ingram: holding answer 5 June 2006
	As part of our commitment to UNSCR 1325 the MOD, FCO, and DFID have published a UK national action plan to ensure implementation of the resolution, and encourage others to do likewise. I shall place a copy of the action plan in the Library of the House. The principal requirement on the MOD is to ensure that the provisions of SCR 1325 are reflected in the operational planning, doctrine and training programmes. UK forces already undergo training prior to operational deployments that takes account of gender issues. We will be auditing our training to assess how this compares with the requirements of UNSCR 1325.

TREASURY

Conception Rate

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many conceptions of  (a) under 18s and  (b) under 16s there were in each (i) primary care trust area and (ii) local authority area in the North East in each year since 2001; what the conception rate was in each case; and what percentage of conceptions in under 18s ended in abortion in each case.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 7 June 2006:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many conceptions in  (a) under 18s  (b) under 16s there were in each (i) primary care trust area and (ii) local authority area in the North East in each year since 2001; what the conception rate was in each case; and what percentage of conceptions in under 18s ended in abortion in each case. (75208)
	Teenage conception figures by Primary Care Trust (PCT) are not available because there is a risk of disclosure of information about individuals due to differences in boundaries between PCTs and local authorities.
	Available figures are estimates of the number of pregnancies that resulted in a live birth, stillbirth or termination.
	Conception numbers, rates and percentage leading to abortion for girls aged under 18 by local authorities in the North East from 2001 to 2004 (the most recent year for which figures are available) are given in the attached table. Figures for 2004 are provisional.
	Conception statistics for girls aged under 16 for each year since 2001 are available only for unitary authorities, metropolitan counties and counties. Figures are not available for county districts as there is a risk of disclosure of information about individuals due to small number of cases each year.
	
		
			  Conceptions to girls aged under 18: number, rate and percentage leading to abortion by area of usual residence, 2001-2004( 1) 
			   2001  2002 
			   Number  Rate  Percentage leading to abortion  Number  Rate  Percentage leading to abortion 
			  2,393 48 37 2,554 51 39 
			
			 Darlington UA 94 51 41 94 48 45 
			 Hartlepool UA 120 62 38 110 56 36 
			 Middlesbrough UA 180 54 34 198 60 45 
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 162 55 33 143 48 44 
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 150 37 32 172 43 38 
			
			  Durham County 399 45 33 469 52 35 
			 Chester-le-Street 41 42 37 45 47 49 
			 Derwentside 61 41 26 85 56 15 
			 Durham 49 33 47 60 40 38 
			 Easington 113 62 27 104 58 36 
			 Sedgefield 76 47 37 94 56 41 
			 Teesdale 7 18 43 12 28 58 
			 Wear Valley 52 44 27 69 56 30 
			
			  Northumberland 216 37 50 240 41 39 
			 Alnwick 20 37 55 24 44 33 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 21 48 43 10 23 40 
			 Blyth Valley 71 44 44 81 50 40 
			 Castle Morpeth 20 20 60 27 27 48 
			 Tynedale 31 27 65 27 23 48 
			 Wansbeck 53 48 45 71 64 34 
			
			  Tyne and Wear 1,072 52 38 1,128 54 39 
			 Gateshead 152 42 30 158 44 37 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 267 58 44 283 60 37 
			 North Tyneside 190 53 35 198 55 44 
			 South Tyneside 168 54 44 169 52 38 
			 Sunderland 295 51 36 320 55 38 
		
	
	
		
			   2003  2004( 1) 
			   Number  Rate  Percentage leading to abortion  Number  Rate  Percentage leading to abortion 
			  2,613 52 41 2,511 51 40 
			
			 Darlington UA 94 49 49 93 48 42 
			 Hartlepool UA 134 69 44 126 64 42 
			 Middlesbrough UA 190 58 35 191 62 38 
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 143 48 36 173 58 34 
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 197 51 43 185 49 39 
			
			  Durham County 458 50 37 444 48 39 
			 Chester-le-Street 21 22 - 41 43 . 
			 Derwentside 82 52 28 77 47 42 
			 Durham 58 40 38 68 47 34 
			 Easington 104 56 39 108 60 44 
			 Sedgefield 110 64 43 76 44 29 
			 Teesdale 14 32 — 11 25 — 
			 Wear Valley 69 56 33 63 51 33 
			
			  Northumberland 221 38 39 214 37 45 
			 Alnwick 16 28 — 22 38 — 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 12 26 — 11 24 — 
			 Blyth Valley 75 49 40 83 54 42 
			 Castle Morpeth 28 29 64 17 19 59 
			 Tynedale 19 16 - 20 18 75 
			 Wansbeck 71 63 35 61 56 43 
			
			  Tyne and Wear 1,176 56 44 1,085 52 41 
			 Gateshead 175 49 45 159 45 47 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 268 55 42 282 57 37 
			 North Tyneside 189 52 46 187 51 40 
			 South Tyneside 180 55 51 165 52 45 
			 Sunderland 364 63 41 292 51 40 
			 (1 )Conceptions for 2004 are provisional.  Notes: 1. Following ONS guidance on disclosure of abortion statistics, figures for 2003 and 2004 on percentage of conceptions leading to abortions have been suppressed where the count is less than 10 cases. Occasionally it has been necessary to apply a secondary suppression to avoid the possibility of disclosure by differencing. 2. Rates are per 1000 female population aged 15-17. 
		
	
	
		
			  Conceptions to girls aged under 16: number and rate by area of usual residence, 2001-04( 1) 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004( 1) 
			   Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate  Number  Rate 
			  460 9 460 9 498 10 481 10 
			  
			 Darlington UA 12 6 14 7 16 8 19 10 
			 Hartlepool UA 29 15 16 8 23 12 21 11 
			 Middlesbrough UA 25 8 36 11 47 15 36 12 
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 32 11 28 9 28 10 54 18 
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 26 7 42 11 51 13 39 10 
			  
			 Gateshead MCD 32 9 19 5 33 9 26 7 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne MCD 52 11 57 12 46 10 41 9 
			 North Tyneside MCD 33 9 34 9 39 11 32 9 
			 South Tyneside MCD 43 13 28 9 34 11 29 10 
			 Sunderland MCD 66 11 56 10 62 11 51 9 
			  
			 Durham County 77 8 89 10 84 9 93 10 
			 Northumberland 33 6 41 7 35 6 40 7 
			 (1 )Conceptions for 2004 are provisional.  Note: Rates are per 1000 female population aged 13-15.

Departmental Annual Reports

David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in his Department did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in each of the last three years; and what percentage this represented of the total number of staff in each case.

John Healey: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Staff not achieving an acceptable performance mark 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 2005-06 0 0 
			 2004-05 0 0 
			 2003-04 (1)— (1)— 
			 (1 )As there have been less than five cases in 2003-04 this information is suppressed on grounds of confidentiality. 
		
	
	HM Treasury no longer has an unsatisfactory mark category for annual performance. Any member of staff whose performance is at an unsatisfactory level is dealt with under competency or probationary procedures at the time rather than waiting until the end of the appraisal year.

Inheritance Tax

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what threshold level of inheritance tax would be required so as to produce the same tax revenue as in 1998, adjusted for inflation.

Dawn Primarolo: The level of inheritance tax remains unchanged since 1998, indeed since 1988.

Manufacturing Job Losses

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many jobs have been lost in manufacturing in  (a) the UK and  (b) Scotland since the second quarter of 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 7 June 2006:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about job losses in manufacturing in the UK and Scotland since the second quarter of 1997 (74808)
	While statistics of jobs lost or created are not available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes in the number of jobs from year to year.
	Comparative statistics for UK and Scotland for manufacturing are only available in terms of employee jobs, i.e. excluding the self-employed, and on a non seasonally adjusted basis. These are shown in the following table, using figures for June each year so that the comparison is not affected by seasonal influences.
	
		
			  Employee jobs and change in jobs in manufacturing in UK and Scotland between June 1997 and June 2005 
			   Thousands, not seasonally adjusted 
			  June  United Kingdom  Scotland 
			 1997 4,176 342 
			 2005 3,131 234 
			 Change since 1997 -1,045 -108 
		
	
	As these results are mainly based on sample surveys, they are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Parliamentary Questions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to answer questions  (a) 24586,  (b) 46531,  (c) 62787,  (d) 62788,  (e) 63040,  (f) 63044 and  (g) 63323, on tax credits, tabled by the hon. Member for Yeovil.

Dawn Primarolo: I answered question 63044 on 5 June 2006 and question 24586 as long ago as 10 January 2006. The other questions to which the hon. Gentleman refers are among 84 of the 535 questions he has tabled to the Chancellor in the present session which it has not yet been possible to answer.
	75 of these unanswered questions were received yesterday and today alone. Determining precisely what information the hon. Member is seeking, whether it differs from or simply duplicates information which has already been provided to him (often on more than one occasion) and ascertaining whether the data concerned are in the process of being assembled in answer to earlier similar questions is a time-consuming task which is seldom capable of being accomplished quickly.

Tax Credits

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of the working tax credit child care element on child care costs; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Child care costs are affected by a number of factors, such as the availability of child care provision, local wage levels, or land or rental prices where child care is offered. The child care element of the working tax credit has had a significant impact on the affordability of child care for low to moderate-income families, reducing the proportion of child care costs that they pay. Through the child care element of the working tax credit, working parents receive financial assistance with up to 80 per cent. of the costs of registered and approved child care, up to a maximum of £300 per week (£175 for one child). In April 2006 374,000 families were benefiting from the child care element, and they were receiving an average of £50 per week towards their child care costs.
	The Government remain committed to its vision to ensure that all families are able to afford flexible, high quality child care services that are appropriate to their needs.

Vehicle Excise Duty Rates

Paul Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people his Department estimated would decide against buying a band G car on the basis of the new vehicle excise duty rate in its costings for the Finance Bill; at what cost; and with what expected effect on carbon emissions;
	(2)  how many people his Department estimated would decide in favour of buying a band A car based on the vehicle excise duty exemption in its costings for the Finance Bill; at what cost; and with what expected effect on carbon emissions.

John Healey: The Chancellor considers all relevant economic, social and environmental factors in deciding taxation policy.
	The reforms to vehicle excise duty to strengthen environmental incentives announced in the Budget are expected to cost the Exchequer £10 million over six years. Graduated vehicle excise duty is designed to give a clear signal to motorists to consider environmental impacts when making their vehicle purchasing choice and to the motor industry about the direction of policy on vehicle emissions.

WALES

English Hospitals

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent meetings he has had regarding the treatment of Welsh patients in hospitals in England.

Nick Ainger: I have regular discussions with the Assembly Minister for Health and Social Services on a range of matters, including the provision of services for Welsh patients in hospitals in England.

Respect Agenda

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on progress with the respect agenda in Wales.

Peter Hain: Through the respect action plan, the Government are building on the progress we have already made against antisocial behaviour and are now setting out to tackle its root cause.

Police

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent meetings he has had on police force restructuring in Wales.

Peter Hain: I continue to discuss the proposals with key stakeholders. I remain convinced that a single police force is the most effective way of delivering a safe and secure Wales.

Regional Airports

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the future of regional airports in Wales.

Nick Ainger: Air services have a vital role to play in the development of an integrated and sustainable transport system for Wales.
	The Welsh Assembly Government are keen to exploit this potential to improve accessibility, open up new markets and encourage inward investment.

Pensions

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the effect of pensions policy on the people of Wales.

Peter Hain: Regular ones.
	The Pensions White Paper shows that under our Government's policies, Welsh pensioners can be ensured of proper pension provision in an ageing society.

Pensions

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the pension liability of his Department over the next 30 years.

Peter Hain: Staff serving in the Wales Office are either on loan from the National Assembly for Wales or employed by the Department for Constitutional Affairs. Pension liabilities are managed by their employing bodies rather than by the Wales Office. Information on pension liabilities is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Dentistry

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last met the Health Minister of the Welsh Assembly to discuss NHS dentistry in Wales.

Nick Ainger: I regularly meet the Assembly Minister for Health and Social Services to discuss dental services in Wales.

Agriculture

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Welsh Assembly Government on agriculture in Wales.

Nick Ainger: I have regular bilateral meetings with Carwyn Jones, Welsh Assembly Minister with responsibility for agriculture. The last of these was on 10 May, and our next planned meeting will be on 17 July.

Black/Asian Employees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many  (a) black and Asian and  (b) other people are employed in his Department's press office.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office has a small number of staff. For privacy reasons the numbers are confidential, in line with guidance issued by the Cabinet Office, which states that Departments are not required to provide information on ethnicity, which is given voluntarily, where it is less than five.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff in his Department did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in each of the last three years; and what percentage this represented of the total number of staff in each case.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office has a small number of staff. For privacy reasons these numbers are confidential, in line with guidance issued by the Cabinet Office, which states that Departments are not required to provide this information where it is less than five.

Illegal Immigrants

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many illegal immigrants have been discovered to be employed by his Department in each year since 2001; in what capacities they were employed; how many were discovered as part of a criminal investigation; and what the nature of the charges brought against them were.

Peter Hain: None.

Public Transport (Incentives)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what incentives are available to encourage members of his staff to use public transport for travelling to and from work.

Peter Hain: The majority of Wales Office staff (around 75 per cent.) already use public transport to travel to or from work. Staff are able to access interest-free loans for the purchase of rail season tickets or bicycles.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Cabinet Reshuffle

Andrew Turner: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission when each department of the House was notified by each Government Department of  (a) the contact details of the private office of and  (b) the responsibilities of each Minister following the recent Cabinet reshuffle.

Nick Harvey: The Department of the Official Report received some information by fax direct from No. 10 Downing street the day following the recent Cabinet reshuffle. Departments of the House monitored details on the No. 10 Downing street website, departmental websites and press reports during the period after the reshuffle to establish the facts on those aspects of the reshuffle which directly affected their business.

Clothes/Uniform Allowance

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission which officers of the House qualify for an  (a) clothes and  (b) uniform allowance; what the allowance is in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: There is no specific clothing or uniform allowance for Clerks at the Table or Serjeants at Arms. The costs of their uniforms are met from the Administration Estimate. They are responsible for cleaning costs. The Secretary and the Assistant Secretary to the Speaker also have the costs of their official clothing met from the Administration Estimate. The Assistant Secretary to the Speaker also receives a uniform allowance of £654 per annum to cover cleaning and maintenance costs.

Energy Usage

Edward Davey: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what proportion of energy usage on the House of Commons estate was provided by renewable energy in the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Harvey: At present, the purchase contract for the supply of electricity to the Parliamentary Estate stipulates that 10 per cent. of the electricity must come from a renewable source. Working from this figure, the proportion of total energy usage on the House of Commons estate provided by renewable energy was 4.9 per cent. During 2005-06.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was of each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed by the House with outside suppliers over the last five years.

Nick Harvey: The information is not readily available in the form requested. The House has entered into a variety of IT-related contracts in recent years, some of which have been for hardware and software and others for project development or delivery. In few cases have the estimated and outturn costs related solely to a particular contract. Many of the contracts are in relation to continuing work.
	The following table lists the five largest external suppliers by value for ICT-related goods and services in 2005-06.
	
		
			  Supplier  Service  Expenditure (£000) 
			 Morse Group(1) Systems development and support services 1,783 
			 Insight Management and Systems Consultants Ltd.(2) Systems development and support services 1,224 
			 Colt Telephony 748 
			 Eurica Telephony 693 
			 Microsoft Software 453 
			 (1 )In support of the Parliamentary Information Management System (PIMS) and the Web Development Project. (2 )In support of the new House Administration Information System (HAIS). 
		
	
	Apart from the contract with Insight Management and Systems Consultants Ltd., all these contracts are shared between the two Houses. The figures provided represent the Commons share of the costs incurred. These figures relate only to costs incurred under the Administration Estimate, for which the Commission is ultimately responsible, and not for costs borne on the Members' Estimate, such as IT services for Members.

Official Report

Iain Wright: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what the average daily cost is of providing a hard copy version of the  Official Report.

Nick Harvey: Neither the daily costs nor the per copy costs of producing the  Official Report are held in the form requested, as the printing and publishing contract structure allows for payments in relation to printing consolidated classes of papers supplied complete. Internal staff, and other costs, are not associated with them or apportioned to individual documents. The following figures have been derived from printing contract data. The total printing expenditure per sitting day on the daily part of the  Official Report for financial year 2005-06 is estimated at approximately £11,300, which equates to about £9.10 per copy taken by the House.

Postage Costs

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1315W, what estimate the Commission has made of the level of wastage of prepaid envelopes.

Nick Harvey: Wasted prepaid envelopes are sent to the Postmaster who ensures the House is credited with a full postage refund for each envelope. In 2005-06 the House was refunded £1,553.84 for wasted prepaid envelopes. No estimate has been made of the value of unused prepaid envelopes which are not recovered.

Postage Costs

Andrew Dismore: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what estimate he has made of the potential savings which would result from stamping hon. Members mail using a franking machine as opposed to using prepaid envelopes.

Nick Harvey: The small postage saving gained by using franked mail as opposed to prepaid envelopes would be negated by additional costs to provide upgraded franking equipment and staff to weigh and frank each item of mail.

Publications

James Gray: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what assessment the Commission has made of the merits of using  (a) recycled and  (b) environmentally-friendly paper in House of Commons publications.

Nick Harvey: The archival requirement of the paper used for House of Commons publications precludes the use of recycled consumer waste material in its production. The specialist paper used in their production is made from imported pulp from managed forests where trees (often two) are planted for every one used. Some mill broke recycled element is included. The paper is chlorine and acid free. The paper merchant holds an ISO 14001 certificate of registration for its environmental management system.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

BBC

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what account she takes of wage inflation in the BBC when negotiating the level of the licence fee.

Shaun Woodward: The Government are currently conducting a funding review to determine the level of the licence fee to apply from April 2007. All relevant factors will be considered as part of the review.

Casinos

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many citizens of Milton Keynes were consulted on the bid for a large or small casino for Milton Keynes.

Richard Caborn: The responsibility for consulting local residents on whether an area should bid for a large or small casino rests with the local authority concerned. Details of all local authority bids are available on the Casino Advisory Panel's website at www.culture.gov.uk/cap.
	On 24 May, the Casino Advisory Panel announced the areas that have been short listed for the 17 new casinos permitted under the Gambling Act 2005. In making the announcement, the panel made it clear that it would accept, until 28 June, representations on the shortlists from interested parties. Members of the public can express their opinions to the panel on the broad locations of casinos, whether of opposition or support.

Internet Service Providers

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance her Department has issued to internet service providers on their responsibilities for illegal traffic hosted on their networks.

Shaun Woodward: None. I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by the Minister for Industry and the Regions my right hon. Friend the Member for Barking (Margaret Hodge) on 5 June 2006,  Official Report, column 226W.

Tourism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many tourists to the United Kingdom there were in each quarter since 1976, broken down by  (a) country of origin,  (b) age group and  (c) duration of stay.

Shaun Woodward: The detailed information requested is too large to be printed in the  Official Report. I am therefore arranging for the tabulation to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The information, which comes from the International Passenger Survey and is published by the Office for National Statistics, refers to inbound tourist visits rather than tourists.
	Figures for parts  (b) and  (c) of the question are provided from 1993 to 2005 only because earlier data are not available in electronic format and there would be disproportionate cost in obtaining this information.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Blind/Partially Sighted Schoolchildren

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school children in  (a) England,  (b) the North East and  (c) the Tees Valley are blind or partially sighted.

Parmjit Dhanda: The available information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary, secondary and all special schools( 1, 2) : number and percentage of pupils whose primary need is visual impairment( 3, 4 ) as at January 2006( 5) 
			   Pupils whose primary need is visual impairment 
			   Primary  Secondary  Special  Total 
			   Number  Percentage ( 6)  Number  Percentage ( 6)  Number  Percentage ( 6)  Number  Percentage ( 6) 
			 England 3,750 1.3 3,070 1.4 940 1.1 7,760 1.3 
			 North East 160 3.4 140 3.8 10 0.9 320 3.1 
			 Tees Valley(7) 40 0.3 30 0.2 0 0.0 70 0.2 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (3) Excludes dually registered pupils. (4) Pupils at School Action Plus and those with a statement of SEN provided information on their type of need. Figures for those pupils whose primary need was reported as being visual impairment are given here. (5) Provisional. (6) Number of pupils with visual impairment expressed as a percentage of all pupils at School Action Plus or with statements of SEN. (7) Includes Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington Local Authorities.  Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown.  Source:  Schools' Census 
		
	
	Since 2004, the Department for Education and Skills has collected data on pupils by type of SEN as part of the annual school census. The above table shows pupils with SEN supported at School Action Plus or with a statement of SEN where visual impairment is recorded as their primary need.
	There are a range of factors which may affect the data recorded, including:
	Local interpretation of definitions
	Classification of children with multiple needs
	Differences in diagnoses between education and health professionals
	Availability of special school provisions in authorities [deleted or clarified]

CAFCASS

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what reasons were given by the relevant trade unions for rejecting the pay offer made to staff at the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service during 2005-06; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many vacancies there were in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in the most recent period for which figures are available, broken down by region;
	(3)  what plans he has to negotiate a new strategic pay deal with the trade unions in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service.

Parmjit Dhanda: These are matters for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). Anthony Douglas, the chief executive, has written to my hon. Friend with this information and a copy of his reply has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Anthony Douglas, dated June 2006:
	 Parliamentary Questions Concerning CAFCASS
	I am writing to you in response to the three parliamentary questions that you tabled recently.
	 PQ74682—what reasons were given by the relevant trade unions for rejecting the pay offer made to staff at the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service during 2005-06; and if he will make a statement
	The pay award for 2005/06 was rejected because the initial offer was regarded as too low. Following a short and constructive negotiation, a revised offer was accepted.
	 PQ74683—how many vacancies there were in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in the most recent period for which figures are available, broken down by region
	At the end of March 2006, CAFCASS staff vacancies were equivalent to 65.3 full time posts, broken down as follows:
	Family Court Advisors—37.9;
	Service Managers—7.5; and
	Others—19.9
	A regional breakdown is attached. The vacancies represent 3.5% of the workforce. CAFCASS vacancies levels are kept under regular review.
	 PQ74683—what plans he has to negotiate a new strategic pay deal with the trade unions in the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service
	CAFCASS has agreed a set of principles with the CAFCASS trade unions, to underpin a strategic pay review, and discussions on the review have started. Completion is expected before the end of 2006, with at least partial implementation anticipated from April 2007, depending on the progress made and budgetary considerations at the time.
	
		
			  CAFCASS regional vacancy analysis at 31 March 2006 
			   Vacancy analysis  Establishment (Full-time equivalent)  Vacancy (Percentage) 
			 East Midlands 5.5 148.32 3.7 
			 Eastern 3.7 130.12 2.8 
			 London 9 210.52 4.3 
			 North East 3.5 122.67 2.9 
			 North West 8 309.58 2.6 
			 South East/High Court 9 110.36 8.2 
			 South West 5.1 165.16 3.1 
			 Southern 5 95.71 5.2 
			 West Midlands 6.5 198.14 3.3 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 4 260.55 1.5 
			 National Office 6 93.7 6.4 
			 Total 65.3 1844.83 3.5

CAFCASS

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will establish an independent body to oversee the work of Children and Family Court Advisory and Support service; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: There is already considerable independent oversight of CAFCASS' work. It is inspected by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Court Administration, and inspection reports are published. Complaints about CAFCASS in particular cases, which are not resolved by its complaints procedure, can be referred to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. CAFCASS' annual reports and accounts are audited by the National Audit Office before they are published and laid before Parliament. In addition, CAFCASS has a non-executive board; the chair and 10 members are appointed by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and 2 members are co-opted to provide particular expertise.

Chess

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the development and encouragement of chess in schools;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of under 16s who play chess as part of school activities.

Jim Knight: We are keen to explore innovative ways of raising levels of motivation and achievement among school pupils and have supported the English Chess Federation to develop a handbook for schools in setting up school chess clubs.
	We do not collect data on the number of under 16s who play chess as part of school activities. However, we know that a number of schools incorporate chess clubs within their study support (out of school hours learning) provision. Schools and local authorities have access to Government funding for study support and the freedom to decide which activities to offer to best meet local need and demand. By 2010 the Government also wants all schools, as part of their extended schools provision, to provide a varied range of interesting activities, such as chess clubs, before and after school and during the school holidays.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will reply to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire's letter of 4 April, on the home computer initiative.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 5 June 2006
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry will respond to the hon. Member on this matter.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff in his Department have had  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in each of the last three years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information for calendar years 2004 and 2005 is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Periods of sick leave of less than five days  Number of staff 
			  2005  
			 2 564 
			 3 328 
			 4 173 
			 5 plus 199 
			 Total 1,264 
			   
			  2004  
			 2 614 
			 3 351 
			 4 197 
			 5 plus 227 
			 Total 1,389 
		
	
	Information for previous years is not held.
	The Department is committed to effective attendance management. In support of the recommendations of "Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector" it has introduced a number of initiatives to reduce absence levels to seven days per person by 2010. These initiatives have been shared with Cabinet Office to whom my Department provides regular updates on progress. One such initiative is the publication of a comprehensive Attendance Management and Health Guide which brings together the guidance on these issues.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff in his Department attended the Civil Service Islamic Society Eid-Ul-Adha event in London in 2005; and what the total cost to his Department was of their attendance.

Parmjit Dhanda: My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will write to the hon. Member with details of the Civil Service Islamic Society Eid-Ul-Adha event. Copies of her letter will be placed in the Library.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of staff in his Department are making additional voluntary contributions to their pensions.

Parmjit Dhanda: Members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) can pay additional contributions to top up their pension either through the Civil Service Additional Voluntary Contributions Scheme (CSAVCS), a money purchase arrangement, or by buying added years of service in the PCSPS. As an alternative to membership of the PCSPS recruits from 1 October 2002 have been able to join a stakeholder arrangement, the partnership pension account.
	The number and percentage of staff in the Department who are making additional voluntary contributions to their pension as at April 2006 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number  Percentage 
			 CSAVCS 99 2.61 
			 Added years 231 6.08 
			 Partnership 19 0.50

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many non-pensionable bonuses were awarded to members of his staff in each of the last three years; and at what total cost.

Parmjit Dhanda: The following table shows the percentage of staff in my Department receiving non-pensionable bonuses in each of the last three years, and the total cost.
	
		
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Percentage of bonuses 26 32 33 
			 Cost (£) 922,000 1,462,000 1,835,000 
			 Percentage of paybill 0.6 0.96 33

Education and Inspections Bill

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the impact of human rights legislation on the drafting of the Education and Inspections Bill.

Jim Knight: The former Secretary of State signed a certificate under section 19 of the Human Rights Act indicating that the provisions of the Bill are, in her opinion, compliant with the ECHR/HRA Schedule rights.
	During consideration of the Bill on Report I indicated that I would respond in writing to the hon. Member for Brent, East regarding the human rights considerations related to confiscation of property. I will publish that letter in the Library.

Education Funding

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the funding was per pupil in  (a) primary,  (b) infant,  (c) junior and  (d) secondary schools in each (i) London borough and (ii) local education authority in 2005-06.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not yet available. The Department is due to collect the section 52 outturn data relating to the 2005-06 financial year from August 2006.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many education maintenance allowances are being paid in each local education authority in England; what percentage of the relevant age cohort these figures represent; and what estimate he has made of the take-up rate in each area.

Parmjit Dhanda: EMA 2005/06 take-up to April 2006 and is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Take-up current year (April 2006)  Take-up as proportion of age cohort  Take-up as proportion of eligible population 
			  Local authority  16-year-olds  17-year-olds  16-year-olds (percentage)  17-year-olds (percentage)  16-year-olds (percentage)  17-year-olds (percentage) 
			 Camden 753 687 41 39 86 86 
			 Greenwich 1,154 930 42 33 87 81 
			 Hackney 1,388 1,227 55 47 91 92 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 596 550 41 37 83 86 
			 Islington 896 696 52 40 99 85 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 349 317 27 26 96 92 
			 Lambeth 1,517 1,241 60 47 99 92 
			 Lewisham 1,326 1,079 46 38 90 82 
			 Southwark 1,380 1,162 51 44 92 90 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,587 1,336 64 53 93 87 
			 Wandsworth 900 689 46 36 96 81 
			 Westminster 564 534 36 34 86 89 
			 Barking and Dagenham 922 697 40 32 97 88 
			 Barnet 1,125 1,009 29 27 89 92 
			 Bexley 849 677 27 22 81 77 
			 Brent 1,441 1,303 46 42 94 92 
			 Bromley 940 715 23 19 78 73 
			 Croydon 1,568 1,213 35 28 94 83 
			 Ealing 1,330 1,266 39 37 87 91 
			 Enfield 1,380 1,142 38 32 89 83 
			 Haringey 1,228 1,156 50 45 88 92 
			 Harrow 924 825 34 27 95 93 
			 Havering 833 623 28 21 82 72 
			 Hillingdon 909 741 28 23 82 79 
			 Hounslow 978 804 39 32 93 84 
			 Kingston upon Thames 390 308 22 18 85 79 
			 Merton 682 526 33 25 91 81 
			 Newham 2,021 1,749 56 49 96 93 
			 Redbridge 1,139 1,045 33 32 80 85 
			 Richmond upon Thames 352 309 20 18 83 82 
			 Sutton 595 482 25 20 83 76 
			 Waltham Forest 1,246 1,037 45 38 84 83 
			 Birmingham 6,330 5,262 44 37 86 83 
			 Coventry 1,569 1,176 38 29 85 73 
			 Dudley 1,402 1,087 34 27 85 76 
			 Sandwell 1,834 1,445 47 37 89 82 
			 Solihull 728 542 25 19 83 74 
			 Walsall 1,374 1,090 39 32 86 77 
			 Wolverhampton 1,508 1,134 45 35 87 76 
			 Knowsley 1,178 891 51 39 92 82 
			 Liverpool 2,839 2,188 48 37 89 77 
			 St. Helens 976 759 41 33 99 84 
			 Sefton 1,602 1,260 39 31 85 79 
			 Wirral 1,749 1,274 40 29 86 71 
			 Bolton 1,433 1,161 37 31 82 79 
			 Bury 812 647 30 24 76 72 
			 Manchester 2,685 2,213 46 39 88 83 
			 Oldham 1,407 1,005 45 32 91 74 
			 Rochdale 1,246 1,036 40 34 81 79 
			 Salford 997 816 35 29 81 80 
			 Stockport 993 897 26 24 75 76 
			 Tameside 1,183 891 38 29 84 73 
			 Trafford 919 805 32 30 82 80 
			 Wigan 1,476 1,125 36 27 85 76 
			 Barnsley 1,008 789 34 28 81 74 
			 Doncaster 1,445 1,075 36 27 86 74 
			 Rotherham 1,191 880 34 26 85 73 
			 Sheffield 2,213 1,742 35 28 81 75 
			 Bradford 2,963 2,256 43 34 90 79 
			 Calderdale 984 720 37 27 83 69 
			 Kirklees 1,883 1,546 34 29 82 77 
			 Leeds 3,154 2,221 33 23 88 73 
			 Wakefield 1,429 1,064 32 24 82 72 
			 Gateshead 971 783 40 32 84 78 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,149 893 35 29 88 77 
			 North Tyneside 905 676 36 27 80 70 
			 South Tyneside 791 632 38 31 84 78 
			 Sunderland 1,645 1,248 43 33 87 76 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 599 440 26 20 82 74 
			 Bristol, City of 1,561 1,067 34 24 90 69 
			 North Somerset 725 567 29 23 75 71 
			 South Gloucestershire 821 598 25 18 77 68 
			 Hartlepool 607 429 47 33 87 73 
			 Middlesbrough 920 773 46 39 85 78 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 749 613 39 32 85 81 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 917 756 34 29 82 77 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 1,580 1,202 46 35 88 76 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 1,404 1,127 32 27 80 74 
			 North East Lincolnshire 1,061 813 45 34 89 78 
			 North Lincolnshire 779 619 36 30 80 74 
			 North Yorkshire 2,241 1,670 26 20 85 75 
			 York 637 493 29 23 87 79 
			 Bedfordshire 1,302 1,012 24 19 80 73 
			 Luton 1,227 1,032 47 39 87 81 
			 Buckinghamshire 1,337 1,037 20 16 86 81 
			 Milton Keynes 890 702 30 23 80 75 
			 Derbyshire 3,067 2,374 30 25 81 72 
			 Derby 1,088 718 34 24 87 68 
			 Dorset 1,516 1,160 28 21 79 72 
			 Poole 535 406 30 22 84 74 
			 Bournemouth 624 465 33 26 85 74 
			 Durham 2,408 1,851 38 30 84 73 
			 Darlington 520 360 38 28 87 71 
			 East Sussex 2,079 1,690 31 26 76 72 
			 Brighton and Hove 923 721 34 27 87 77 
			 Hampshire 4,165 3,079 25 19 82 73 
			 Portsmouth 880 707 38 30 87 79 
			 Southampton 946 679 38 27 86 72 
			 Leicestershire 2,347 1,798 28 23 79 72 
			 Leicester 2,182 1,880 58 50 89 86 
			 Rutland 82 62 13 8 78 60 
			 Staffordshire 3,487 2,715 32 25 79 70 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 1,482 1,086 46 34 86 74 
			 Wiltshire 1,568 1,148 26 19 78 69 
			 Swindon 717 580 30 25 78 72 
			 Bracknell Forest 327 201 22 12 102 72 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 295 254 16 12 78 79 
			 West Berkshire 374 249 18 12 83 64 
			 Reading 439 299 26 18 85 66 
			 Slough 587 420 37 26 96 78 
			 Wokingham 344 272 17 14 85 77 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,769 1,325 25 19 82 72 
			 Peterborough 780 577 36 26 84 73 
			 Cheshire 2,521 1,881 28 21 81 73 
			 Halton 751 566 44 33 85 74 
			 Warrington 748 562 28 22 84 73 
			 Devon 3,370 2,605 36 29 79 71 
			 Plymouth 1,320 986 40 30 77 67 
			 Torbay 782 579 45 34 85 73 
			 Essex 4,800 3,455 27 20 83 70 
			 Southend-on-Sea 620 528 30 27 77 74 
			 Thurrock 563 346 27 18 89 63 
			 Herefordshire 783 594 32 25 76 70 
			 Worcestershire 2,324 1,847 31 25 76 74 
			 Kent 5,519 4,068 29 22 83 72 
			 Medway 1,180 897 32 24 79 70 
			 Lancashire 5,374 4,419 33 28 82 78 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 968 824 44 37 87 83 
			 Blackpool 748 534 39 28 88 76 
			 Nottinghamshire 3,330 2,419 32 24 84 70 
			 Nottingham 1,600 1,164 48 35 95 78 
			 Shropshire 1,130 845 28 21 79 70 
			 Telford and Wrekin 777 582 33 24 78 70 
			 Cornwall 3,102 2,542 46 38 79 75 
			 Cumbria 2,034 1,576 32 25 76 69 
			 Gloucestershire 2,121 1,659 27 22 79 74 
			 Hertfordshire 3,217 2,465 23 18 81 74 
			 Isle of Wight 710 618 41 36 72 73 
			 Lincolnshire 3,149 2,374 34 26 79 72 
			 Norfolk 3,484 2,556 34 26 83 70 
			 Northamptonshire 2,477 1,741 27 19 80 68 
			 Northumberland 1,326 1,020 33 26 78 69 
			 Oxfordshire 1,496 1,105 19 14 84 74 
			 Somerset 2,181 1,717 30 23 79 73 
			 Suffolk 2,982 2,248 33 26 80 70 
			 Surrey 2,447 1,916 18 14 83 77 
			 Warwickshire 1,798 1,313 26 19 83 72 
			 West Sussex 2,651 2,057 27 22 81 75 
			
			 England 220,523 171,980 33 26 84 76 
			  Notes:  1. Take-up figures are the number of learners who have received one or more EMA payments.  2. The eligibility estimates are produced using income distributions (derived from the Family Resources Survey) and expected numbers in full-time further education. When applied to individual localities, the figures may be subject to some variation but they provide a useful estimate. 3. City of London has been omitted because of small population size (see note 2, above). Take-up of EMA in the authority to date is 19 16-year-olds and 42 17-year-olds have received at least one payment.

Free Fruit Scheme

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the organisers of free fruit schemes for schools.

Jim Knight: The Government's School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme is administered by the Department of Health. The Secretary of State for Education and Skills has not met recently with organisers of free fruit schemes for schools.

Gershon Report

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many civil servants were employed in his Department before the Gershon Report; what net reductions were proposed in the Gershon Report; how many reductions have been made; and how many civil servants are expected to be employed in his Department in the Gershon target month of April 2008.

Parmjit Dhanda: The agreed baseline figure that my Department is using to assess progress against its target to reduce civil service posts in response to the Gershon report is 4,660 and is at 1 October 2003. The baseline of October 2003 reflects the starting point for the Department's restructuring programme.
	The Gershon report commits my Department to achieving a total of 1,460 staff reductions by 31 March 2008, which would reduce overall numbers to 3,200 (this has now reduced to 3,142 as a result of Machinery of Government changes which transferred 58 staff to DCA with effect from 1 April 2006).
	As at 1 April 2006, my Department had reduced staffing numbers by 1,025 from its baseline figure, to 3,635, and expects to meet its target of 3,142 by 31 March 2008.

Lip Reading (Yorkshire)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what representations he has received on the reduction of funds enabling lip reading classes at York College;
	(2)  what discussions he has had on the provision of sign language and lip reading classes for those with deafness or partial deafness in the Vale of York;
	(3)  what alternative provision will be made for those affected by the termination of lip reading classes at York College.

Bill Rammell: We understand that there no plans to reduce the availability of sign language or lip reading provision in York. The Learning and Skills Council will continue to support sign language courses at York College as these are priority programmes and an integral part of the college's adult provision. Lip reading classes have been run by York city council for a number of years some under a sub-contracting arrangement with York College. York city council have reviewed this arrangement and decided that in future all lip reading courses will be delivered directly through York city council.
	We have been clear that provision to support deaf and hard of hearing learners and more generally for all learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities remains a priority and this continues to be the case in York.

Medical School

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many places were allocated in each English university for studying medicine in 2005; and how many of those places were taken by  (a) students from overseas and  (b) those educated in the private sector.

Bill Rammell: The available information is given in the following table. Information on the previous educational establishment of the intakes of medical schools is not held centrally. The planned and actual intakes of UK and overseas students are determined independently. An increase in overseas students does not affect the number of places available for UK students.
	
		
			  Planned and actual intakes of medical schools in England 2005/06 
			 of which: 
			  Institution  Planned intake  Actual intake( 1)  Home and EU( 2)  Other overseas( 3) 
			 Birmingham 385 432 389 43 
			 Brighton-Sussex 138 136 129 7 
			 Bristol 256 265 248 17 
			 Cambridge 299 301 280 21 
			 East Anglia 141 129 126 3 
			 Hull-York 141 136 135 1 
			 Imperial 330 342 318 24 
			 Keele 130 126 126 0 
			 King's College 415 404 373 31 
			 Leeds 263 254 225 29 
			 Leicester/Warwick 422 485 449 36 
			 Liverpool 317 343 327 16 
			 Manchester 381 357 332 25 
			 Newcastle/Durham 352 381 354 27 
			 Nottingham 336 352 316 36 
			 Oxford 186 187 183 4 
			 Peninsula 181 176 174 2 
			 QMW 324 327 300 27 
			 St. George's 264 297 280 17 
			 Sheffield 241 264 248 16 
			 Southampton 246 253 233 20 
			 UCL 330 351 327 24 
			 Total England 6,078 6,298 5,872 426 
			 (1) Intake figures for 2005/6 are provisional until November 2006.  (2) Home and EU domiciles cannot be separated in the return as both pay the same fees.  (3) Includes students from the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands as they do not pay home fees.   Source:  HEFCE's medicine and dentistry return.

School Milk

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on his policy concerning the provision of whole milk for drinking in schools;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the relative nutritional benefits to school children of drinking skimmed milk, semi-skimmed milk and whole milk; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Local authorities are not obliged to provide milk, but where they do so they must provide it free of charge to pupils entitled to receive a free school lunch. Local authorities decide whether or not to provide whole milk. They are also free to make use of the EU School Milk Subsidy Scheme, which reduces the cost of whole milk and semi-skimmed milk purchased. The new nutritional standards in schools, announced on 19 May 2006, stipulate that only semi-skimmed and skimmed milk should be made available in schools.
	The advice of the School Meals Review Panel and the School Food Trust was that only very young children require full-fat milk as part of their diet; and that once children are at school, semi-skimmed and skimmed versions of milk are entirely adequate. This approach reflects current nutrition advice, which is based on advice from the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (now replaced by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition) who considered this issue in relation to cardiovascular disease. Current advice highlights the important role that milk and dairy products play in children's diets, particularly their contribution to children's calcium intake; and states that school-aged children should have the opportunity to choose lower fat versions of milk as these contain at least the same amount of calcium as whole milk, but less fat.

Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans his Department has to review the 2002 guidelines "Safeguarding Children in whom Illness is Fabricated or Induced"; what discussions he has had with other Government departments about this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: We have no plans to review the Government's guidance "Safeguarding Children in Whom Illness is Fabricated or Induced (2002)". Consequently, we have not discussed review of the guidance with any other Departments. This guidance was produced jointly by the Department of Health, Home Office, Department for Education and Skills and the Welsh Assembly. It is intended to provide a national framework within which agencies and professionals at local level—individually and jointly—draw up and agree upon their own more detailed ways of working together in cases of fabricated or induced illness. It is addressed to those who work in the health and education services, the police, social services departments, the probation service, and others whose work brings them into contact with children and families.

New Schools

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools have been (i) built and (ii) opened in  (A) Southend-on-Sea and  (B) England in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

NUT Conference

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received following the recent National Union of Teachers conference.

Jim Knight: The NUT leadership has made no formal representations since their recent conference.

Pastoral Care

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what  (a) guidance and  (b) training his Department and its agencies provide to teachers on dealing with the impact on school children of parental separation and divorce.

Jim Knight: There is scope in the Personal Social and Health Education framework for schools to explore issues such as parental separation and divorce. Since 2003, we have been providing training for teachers of PSHE through the PSHE certificate for teachers, from which over 5,000 teachers have so far benefited. In addition, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has produced a package of guidance for teachers of PSHE. This package includes units of work which can be used to address issues of divorce and separation.
	The DfES-funded Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) curriculum resource for primary schools provides ideas for developing children's ability to deal with loss and separation, sometimes through explicit reference to the separation and divorce of parents, as well as other areas of loss. There is also brief guidance for staff on working with children on these subjects.

Personalised Learning

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what pilot studies involving personal digital assistants and other mobile technology are being conducted to help enhance personalised learning in the education system; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Department is currently supporting an innovative project in Wolverhampton called Learning2Go, involving provision of hand held devices to 1,100 students and their teachers across a range of institutions. This exercise is seeking to understand the impact:
	(a) on learner achievement when individual and personal access to a device enables learning to continue beyond the school day;
	(b) on individual and family learning when enabling access to school related digital content beyond school hours;
	(c) on teacher planning and preparation time in line with the aspiration for saving teacher time.
	The Department provided funding to Wolverhampton local authority to enable them to fund the conversion of existing educational software for use on the devices. Becta (British Educational Communications Technology Agency) will be conducting a full and detailed evaluation of the project and we will share what we learn to inform future investment/approaches.

Physical Exercise

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to increase the awareness of children and parents about the importance of regular physical exercise and healthy eating outside the school environment.

Jim Knight: The Healthy Schools' Programme includes physical activity and healthy eating as compulsory elements that schools will need to address to achieve the National Healthy Schools' Standard. The programme encourages children and parents to adopt a healthy lifestyle within and beyond the school environment. We are aiming for all schools to be working towards 'Healthy School' status by 2009.
	The national PE, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) strategy has set an ambitious target to increase the percentage of 5-16 year olds who spend at least two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport, within and beyond the curriculum, to 75 per cent. by 2006, and to raise this to 85 per cent. by 2008. The strategy is also encouraging children and young people to participate in sports clubs.
	Food education within the National Curriculum aims to develop healthy eating habits both inside and outside the school environment. Pupils should learn about diet, nutrition, cooking, food hygiene and safety. In addition, the School Food Trust will play a key role in taking forward the Government's programme for improving school food. It will give independent support and advice to schools and parents to improve the standard of school meals and to ensure that the issue of school food remains high on the agenda. We have developed a parents' toolkit "Food in Schools: A short guide for parents and carers" which encourages parents to take an interest in the food their children are being served at school and supporting what happens at school in the home.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the Private Members' Bills in respect of which his Department adopted a policy of neutrality in each Session since 2001-02; and if he will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is not collected by the Department.

Pupil Numbers

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many pupils are being taught at the temporary school at Oakgrove; how long the temporary school will remain in place; and what estimate he has made of the number of pupils who will be taught there in  (a) September 2006,  (b) July 2007 and  (c) September 2007;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of pupils who will be taught in  (a) Bradwell Village,  (b) Caroline Haslett,  (c) Green Park,  (d) Olney Infants,  (e) Lord Grey,  (f) The Walnuts,  (g) White Spire and  (h) Sir Frank Markham schools in (i) September 2006, (ii) July 2007 and (iii) September 2007.

Jim Knight: Local authorities are responsible for school place planning and the Secretary of State does not make estimates of pupil numbers. As part of the annual surplus places survey, however, the Department collects local authority area level forecasts of the number of primary and secondary pupils. We do not collect forecasts at school level. The following table shows Milton Keynes estimated pupil numbers at September 2006 and 2007:
	
		
			   2006  2007 
			 Primary 20,064 20,605 
			 Secondary 16,740 16,937 
			 Total 38,810 39,549 
			  Source:  2005 Surplus Places Survey

Runaway Children

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in  (a) Torbay and  (b) England have been reported as having run away since 2001.

Parmjit Dhanda: Statistics on the numbers of all children who are reported as having run away or missing are not collected centrally. The Children's Society estimates that each year in the UK 100,000 children run away or are forced to leave home to escape problems.
	The Home Office has been working with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the National Missing Persons Helpline to establish joint working arrangements to improve the recording, sharing and exchange of information, to improve the way in which missing persons are dealt with, and to inform our understanding of the problem in order to develop strategies to address it. Part of this work includes establishment of a comprehensive national police database of missing and unidentified people reported either to the police or the helpline.

Runaway Children

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information and support is available for teachers and schools on preventing children and young people from running away from home or care; and how that support may be accessed.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 18 June 2006
	Schools' core business is teaching and learning, but teachers themselves recognise that to achieve the best results they must supplement their focus on teaching and learning with appropriate additional support, and work with other professional agencies to remove barriers to achievement. The Every Child Matters reforms will help them do this by enabling schools to link in with wider children's services, and access their expertise and experience. This is particularly useful in helping schools respond to the needs of more vulnerable young people, such as those who may run away. In addition, the Every Child Matters: Change for Children programme is improving integrated working at the local level along with enhanced information sharing between children's services leading to earlier identification of young people's needs.
	More broadly, there exist opportunities within the current curriculum, under PSHE and Citizenship Frameworks, for schools to explore issues to do with recognising and managing risks (i.e. if you run away, what risks would you face); understanding emotions and strategies for dealing with stress; the importance of family and stable relationships; and knowing where to get help. We are not prescriptive with schools about what issues schools explore to achieve the learning objectives set out within the frameworks, and local need determines local provision.
	In addition, DfES has run 6 development projects to test out how best to provide safe, flexible and responsive community-based services that can be easily incorporated into mainstream children's services. When we disseminate the lessons learnt so far from these, later this year, they will include information, materials and support models from work with schools in the pilot areas.

School Statistics

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) secondary and  (b) primary schools in England are (i) community, (ii) voluntary controlled, (iii) voluntary aided, (iv) foundation, (v) city technology college, (vi) academy and (vii) other; and what percentage of children in each category of school  (A) are in receipt of free school meals,  (B) have special educational needs and  (C) are from ethnic minority families.

Jim Knight: holding answer 10 May 2006
	The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies: school meals, special educational needs and ethnicity data, January 2006 (Provisional)( 1, ) England 
			   Maintained Primary( 2) 
			   Community  Voluntary Controlled  Voluntary Aided  Foundation  Total 
			 Number of schools 10,842 2,550 3,747 363 17,502 
			   
			  School meal arrangements( 3)  
			 Number on roll 2,838,570 416.760 787,530 109,120 4,151,970 
			 Number taking free meals 425,570 33.280 84,820 9.900 553,560 
			 Percentage taking free meals 15.0 8.0 10.8 9.1 13.3 
			 Number eligible for free meals 514,670 40,160 100,680 11,680 667,180 
			 Percentage eligible for free meals 18.1 9.6 12.8 10.7 18.1 
			   
			  Pupils with SEN( 4)  
			 Number with statements 46.920 6.020 10,280 1,690 64,910 
			 Percentage with statements(5) 1.7 1.4 1.3 1.6 1.6 
			 Number without statements(6) 515,980 64,140 119,550 17,090 718,750 
			 Percentage without statements(5) 18.2 15.4 15.2 15.7 17.3 
			   
			  Ethnic minority pupils( 4,7)  
			 Number 507.090 34.980 130,580 16,180 688,830 
			 Percentage(8) 22.4 10.0 20.3 17.7 20.6 
		
	
	
		
			   Maintained Secondary( 2) 
			   Community  Voluntary Controlled  Voluntary Aided  Foundation  Total 
			 Number of schools 2,164 118 554 530 3,366 
			   
			  School meal arrangements( 3)  
			 Number on roll 2,092,550 118,680 503,990 594,810 3,310,030 
			 Number taking free meals 234.360 6,580 48,380 41,320 328,640 
			 Percentage taking free meals 11.2 5.5 9.2 8.9 9.9 
			 Number eligible for free meals 322,870 9,490 60,340 55,920 448,610 
			 Percentage eligible for free meals 15.4 8.0 12.0 9.4 13.6 
			   
			  Pupils with SEN( 4)  
			 Number with statements 50,340 2,590 9,380 11,620 73,930 
			 Percentage with statements(5) 2.4 2.2 1.9 2.0 2.2 
			 Number without statements(6) 352,650 14,570 62,630 76,810 506,670 
			 Percentage without statements(5) 16.9 12.3 12.4 12.9 15.3 
			   
			  Ethnic minority pupils( 4,7)  
			 Number 337,160 10.140 111.000 97,960 556,260 
			 Percentage(8) 16.1 8.6 22.0 16.5 16.8 
		
	
	
		
			   City technology colleges  Academies( 1) 
			 Number of schools 11 26 
			
			  School meal arrangements( 3)   
			 Number on roll 12,480 23,800 
			 Number taking free meals 1,270 6,420 
			 Percentage taking free meals 10.2 27.0 
			 Number eligible for free meals 1,530 7.880 
			 Percentage eligible for free meals 12.3 33.1 
			
			  Pupils with SEN( 4)   
			 Number with statements 130 710 
			 Percentage with statements(5) 1.0 3.0 
			 Number without statements(6) 1,060 5,800 
			 Percentage without statements(5) 8.5 24.4 
			
			  Ethnic minority pupils( 4,7)   
			 Number 2,640 9,590 
			 Percentage(8) 21.1 40.4 
			 (1 )These figures are based on survey returns from over 99 per cent. of primary and secondary schools. A survey return from one academy is known to be outstanding. No estimation has been made for those survey returns that are outstanding.  (2) Includes middle schools as deemed.  (3) Includes dually registered and boarding pupils.  (4) Excludes dually registered pupils.  (5) Number of pupils with/without a statement of special educational needs expressed as a percentage of the total number of pupils on roll.  (6) Includes pupils with an SEN status of school action or school action plus.  (7) Pupils of compulsory school age and above are classified according to ethnic group.  (8) Pupils who have been classified according to their ethnic group and are other than White British expressed as a percentage of all pupils of compulsory school age and above.   Notes:  Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown.  Source: Annual Schools Census.

Sex Offenders

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements are in place to ensure that sex offenders who are also pupils or students do not have access in schools or colleges to children under 16 years; and what powers he has in respect of such persons.

Parmjit Dhanda: Cases involving sex offenders who are also pupils or students should be considered individually, in line with guidance in "Working Together to Safeguard Children". There should be a co-ordinated approach, involving youth justice, children's social care, education (including educational psychology) and health (including child and adolescent mental health). An assessment should be carried out in each case to assess the risks to other children and to decide what plan of action should be put in place to address the young person's behaviour and to ensure the safety of others. This might include arrangements for monitoring the child to ensure that he does not have unsupervised access to children under 16 while at school or college or provision of specialist services, including education, not in mainstream settings, which help address the young person's behaviour.

Small Change Big Difference

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department and its agencies have taken following the launch of the Government's "Small Change Big Difference" Campaign.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has a health and attendance management strategy that draws on the recommendations of the "Choosing health" White Paper, "Health, Work and Well-Being" document and "Small Change Big Difference Campaign (SCBD)". In this context, we have recently delivered a number of initiatives to promote health and well being within the Department. These include:
	Health Events on all of our sites to promote "5 a day" where literature on 5 a day was supplied by the Department of Health and this was distributed to staff along with free fruit. These events were well attended with around 50 per cent. of our staff participating;
	Free pedometers have been made available to all staff along with literature supplied to us by the British Heart Foundation and Countryside Agency on the benefits of walking. Around half our staff have come forward to claim their pedometer and we plan to distribute more at future health events;
	Yearly site health check events where staff are offered health literature, weight assessment, cholesterol tests, lung function and blood pressure tests. Our last events were held in October 2005;
	The launch of our new smoking policy, shortly after National No Smoking Day (8/3/2006). This acted as a launch pad to announce that we will close all our smoking rooms, in line with the commitment that we have made to the Health Secretary to make DfES smoke free by the end of 2006. We have offered the services of our occupational health advisers to have initial discussions with staff about giving up smoking and we have distributed smoking cessation literature supplied to us by the Department of Health. We intend to provide focussed smoking cessation support to all staff who require it as we close down our smoking rooms on a phased site by site basis throughout 2006;
	We have ensured that our catering contractor, Aramark, provides health options in the staff canteens including reducing salt levels in food, using semi skimmed milk, lowering fat content and vegetarian options;
	Our two largest sites (London and Sheffield) have a gym available to all staff and all sites have exercise or well-being classes such as aerobics or yoga with the exception of Darlington (one of our smaller sites) where there was insufficient demand.
	As the programme of work on SCBD develops, the Department of Health will be working across all of Government to ensure the programme joins up to promote maximum impact. DoH is leading the implementation for this initiative as part of its cross-Government commitment to deliver the public health White Paper "Choosing Health".

Student Finances

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills where potential students in 2006-07 can obtain a full account of what bursaries are available at each higher education institution.

Bill Rammell: Students can find out about the bursaries available in the 2006/07 academic year through the UCAS website at http://www.ucas.com/. The website allows students to compare bursaries across subjects and at different institutions.
	We are working towards providing students with a facility for the next academic year that will enable them to find out about their entitlement to statutory support and bursaries in one place.

Teachers (Maths Graduates)

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of mathematics graduates required as teachers in each year between 2006-07 and 2010-11. [73923 ]
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Jim Knight: There are 2,350 available initial teacher training places for conventional courses for mathematics in 2006/07 and the indicative number of places for 2007/08 is 2,350. In 2004/05 (the latest year for which final figures are available), an additional 560 people were recruited to train as mathematics teachers on employment based routes, and we expect to recruit similar numbers in the next few years.
	Places for 2008/09 onwards have not yet been decided, but will take into account the latest available information on recruitment, teachers leaving and returning to the profession and vacancy rates. The Government aim that by 2014 95 per cent. of mathematics lessons will be delivered by a mathematics specialist.

University Placements (Medicine)

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many placements were available in 2005 in universities in England to study medicine; how many applications were made for such placements from  (a) overseas students and  (b) British students; and how many places were given to (i) overseas students and (ii) British students.

Bill Rammell: The available information is given in the following two tables. The planned and actual intakes of UK and overseas students are determined independently. An increase in overseas students does not affect the number of places available for UK students.
	
		
			  Applicants through UCAS to pre-clinical medicine courses at UK institutions, 2005 entry 
			  Domicile  Applicants( 1)  Accepted applicants 
			 UK 15,637 7,106 
			 EU 1,426 170 
			 Other overseas 2,297 545 
			 Total 19,360 7,821 
			 (1) Figures only include students where the majority of their applications are to medicine courses.   Source:  UCAS annual datasets. 
		
	
	
		
			  Planned intake and actual intake to UK medical schools, 2005/6 
			  Planned intake(1) Actual intake(2) 
			 Total 7,588 7,898 
			  Of which:   
			 Home and EU(3) — 7,352 
			 Other overseas(4) — 546 
			 (1) Planned intake numbers for UK institutions, split by domicile, are not held centrally. In 2005/6, the planned intake at English institutions was 6,078 of which 5,621 were for home students and 457 for overseas students. Actual intake at English institutions in 2005/06 was 6,298 of which 5,872 were home students and 426 were overseas.  (2) Intake figures for 2005/6 are provisional until November 2006.  (3) Home and EU domiciles cannot be separated in the return as both pay the same fees.  (4) Includes students from the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands as they do not pay home fees.   Source:  HEFCE's medicine and dentistry return.

Vetting and Barring

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1716W, when the new Vetting and Barring Scheme will take effect; and what interim safeguards he will require in respect of children in children's establishments and schools and receiving children's services.

Parmjit Dhanda: Subject to Parliament's approval of the necessary legislation, our intention is to introduce the new Vetting and Barring Scheme in 2008. Implementation will be staged—as was recommended in Sir Michael Bichard's report into the Soham murders—to ensure that the new requirements are established effectively. Until then the current barring schemes will continue to operate alongside the system of Criminal Records Bureau checks. Since the Secretary of State's review into list 99 in January, we have taken a number of steps to strengthen this scheme including the establishment of an independent expert panel to advise and assist the Secretary of State in carrying out his list 99 functions, and new regulations making Criminal Records Bureau checks mandatory for all newly appointed school employees. We will also be introducing new regulations shortly to ensure that any individuals working with children who are convicted or cautioned for sex offences against children will be automatically entered on list 99.

Weapon Detection Scanners (Schools)

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of using weapon detection scanners in schools in areas where children are known to bring weapons into school.

Jim Knight: We have made no assessment or recommendation about scanners being used in or by schools. The Violent Crime Reduction Bill, if it receives Royal Assent, will enable schools to search, without consent, pupils they suspect are carrying a knife or other weapon. Staff authorised to conduct a search could use a detector but that is for individual schools to decide. Police called in to make a general search at a school could also use a detector.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Housing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on progress towards the decent homes standard for social housing in  (a) Greater Manchester,  (b) Stockport Metropolitan Borough and  (c) Tameside Metropolitan Borough.

Yvette Cooper: All 10 metropolitan authorities in the Greater Manchester area have programmes under way to make their social housing decent.
	Progress has been made towards the decent homes target with many examples of associated benefits in regeneration, improved housing management performance and tenant empowerment.
	Latest figures for the registered social landlord (RSL) sector in Greater Manchester show that c. 19 per cent. of stock was non-decent in 2005. This included recently transferred local authority stock subject to a major investment programme.
	In Tameside 301 council homes were transferred to Ashton Pioneer homes in 1999 and this RSL has now completed its investment programme. There are no non-decent properties in the stock and a substantial reduction in empty properties has been reported.
	In March 2000, 16,466 homes were transferred to New Charter Housing Group. Non-decency rates are estimated to have been c.70 per cent. at the time. A 10 year investment programme was begun worth approximately £25 million per annum. In 2005, approximately 23 per cent. of the stock was non-decent and New Charter estimates all the stock will have met the decent homes standard by April 2008.
	In addition, Manchester city council has successfully transferred estates in Houghton Green and Carrbrook both of which have been in receipt of substantial new investment to take homes up to and beyond the decent homes standard. The transfer of Manchester's Hattersley estate is expected shortly.
	Stockport MBC was granted Section 27 consent for their ALMO 'Stockport Homes' in October 2005 and is due for inspection by the Housing Inspectorate in June of this year. Should the council achieve a two star rating or better, it will be entitled to access tens of millions of pounds in extra resource to help make all its homes decent over the coming years.
	In addition Manchester city council is currently consulting several hundred tenants in the Stockport area over future investment plans for their stock.
	In April 2005, 731 RSL properties in Stockport (15 per cent. of the total) were non-decent.

London Housing Associations

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to enable London housing associations access to development opportunities.

Yvette Cooper: We expect that housing associations, in London and elsewhere, will deliver affordable housing both in their own right and through partnership with developers linked to the provision of market housing. We will publish revised planning guidance on the provision of affordable housing through the planning system later this year. The Housing Corporation is also exploring how RSLs might take an increasing role in the provision of market housing for sale.

Sutton Town Football Club

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what advice the then Secretary of State received regarding the planning application for Sutton Town Football Club's new ground; and what account was taken of the opinion of local residents when her decision on the application was made.

Yvette Cooper: I believe the hon. Member is referring to a planning application for a new ground for Shrewsbury Town Football Club at Oteley Road, Sutton, Shrewsbury. The application was approved by Shrewsbury and Atcham borough council in September 2003. I understand the local planning authority did not refer the case at the time to the Secretary of State to consider whether to call it in for his own decision, as the authority considered the application was in accordance with the terms of the adopted local plan. It was for the borough council as local planning authority to take into account the views of local residents when determining the application.

Thames Gateway

Paul Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the funds which have been distributed to projects within the Medway local authority area through the Thames Gateway project.

Yvette Cooper: A total of £100,370,330 from the 2003-08 Thames Gateway budget, has been allocated for projects in the Medway local authority area. A list of these projects is tabled below. Combined, these projects are forecast to lever in over £1.5 billion of private sector investment into the Medway area.
	This investment will support the delivery of over 2,500 homes and 900 jobs at Rochester and Strood Riversides; three universities and a college have combined to share a new campus, at Chatham Maritime, increasing full time education student places from 2000 in 2002 to 10,000 by 2010; a new innovation centre will help to retain and create up to 2,000 high quality jobs. Working with our partners in Medway Renaissance, we are also investing in town centre improvements at Chatham and Gillingham and a series of community and environmental improvements projects that will benefit the people of Medway.
	
		
			  DCLG Medway Investment 
			   £ 
			 Rochester Riverside 42,501,000 
			   
			 Universities at Medway 15,000,000 
			   
			 Strood Riverside 13,624,000 
			   
			 Chatham Town Centre and Waterfront 10,000,000 
			   
			 St Mary's Island 5,000,000 
			   
			 Medway Renaissance Partnership 4,400,000 
			   
			 Medway Innovation Centre 3,500,000 
			   
			 National Museums at Chatham 1,400,000 
			   
			 Transport for Medway 1,000,000 
			   
			 Gillingham Town Centre 850,000 
			   
			 North Kent Environmental Programme: 922,000 
			 Ranscombe Farm 665,000 
			 Hillyfields 145,000 
			 Cliffe Conservation Park 112,000 
			   
			 Community Enterprise Hubs Medway 1,123,330 
			   
			 Chatham Centre and Waterfront Environmental 550,000 
			   
			 River Medway Strategic Flood Risk Assessment 400,000 
			   
			 Gateway Knowledge Alliance; Rochester Construction Centre 100,000 
			 Total 100,370,330

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Career Advice

Anne Moffat: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what measures the Government are taking to improve career advice for girls.

Meg Munn: The Youth Matters: Next Steps document, published on 8 March 2006, sets out proposals for improved information, advice and guidance for young people. It recognises the importance of access to individually-tailored information, advice and guidance that challenges rather than perpetuates traditional stereotypes.
	Central to improved information, advice and guidance will be the development of quality standards. The challenging of traditional stereotypes will be included in these standards. The Equal Opportunities Commission is represented on the steering group that is supporting the development of the standards.

Ethnic Minority Staff

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of the employment of staff from ethnic minorities in the public sector in Northamptonshire.

Meg Munn: holding answer 22 May 2006
	No assessment of the situation in Northamptonshire has been undertaken.
	Under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 public authorities are required to comply with the Employment Duty. This means that they have to monitor, by racial group, the numbers of staff in post and the number of applicants for employment, training and promotion. Where an authority has 150 or more full-time staff they are also required to monitor a number of other indicators. Authorities are required to publish the results of this monitoring annually.
	The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) guidance states that authorities should use the information gathered to see if there are differences in the way racial groups are treated; to investigate the underlying reasons for the differences; and to deal with any unfairness, disadvantage or possible discrimination. The CRE are also responsible for enforcing the Duty.

Financial Planning

Anne Moffat: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government are taking to encourage women to plan their financial lives and save for their retirement.

Meg Munn: On 25 May the Government published a Whiter Paper "Security in retirement: towards a new pensions system" The proposals in this paper set out a new structure for the UK pensions system for the long term. It is designed to enable people to take responsibility for their retirement by saving more.
	The Government will be taking forward a number of measures in the White Paper to encourage women plan for their retirement:
	supported private saving by helping people to make better informed choices about their retirement, introducing a range of pension forecasts to give individuals an understanding of the income they are likely to receive in retirement.
	Abolition of the minimum contribution conditions in basic State Pension and awarding new credits for parenting and caring to ensure such contributions are rewarded through the state pension in the same way as paid contributions.
	Measures to make it easier to save will be supported by a higher, fairer state pension linked to earnings. This will give a foundation on which to build, and enable them to have confidence that their personal saving will be worthwhile.

Goods and Services (Sexual Discrimination)

John Bercow: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality when she plans to introduce regulations to implement the relevant provisions of the Equality Act 2006 to outlaw sexual discrimination in the provision of goods and services.

Meg Munn: We published a consultation paper in March setting out proposals for regulations that will prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods, facilities, services and public functions. The consultation period ended on 5 June and our intention is to lay the sexual orientation regulations before the House after the summer recess.

Pension Schemes (Carers)

Diane Abbott: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what discussions she is planning to have with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions about ensuring that women's caring role is recognised and supported in pension schemes.

Meg Munn: I have had regular meetings with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions throughout the development of the pension reforms. I am pleased that the White Paper "Security in Retirement: Towards a new Pension System" has proposals to modernise home responsibilities protection and introduce a new carer's credit to improve state pension outcomes for women and carers. These two measures, allied to the whole package of pension reforms, will deliver a full basic state pension to 270,000 more women by 2020, and extend state second pension to an estimated 1 million people—over 90 per cent. of whom are women.
	In proposing personal accounts for private saving we will introduce a new, low cost savings vehicle with easy access for all. Those who are not in paid work will be able to save in a personal account on an opt in basis.

People Trafficking

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps she has taken to promote schemes designed to help victims of trafficking outside London.

Meg Munn: I work closely with Home Office colleagues to ensure that provision for victims is sensitive to women's needs.
	The UK is sympathetic to the needs of victims of trafficking. The POPPY Scheme, run by Eaves Housing for Women, already provides a protective environment in which victims can receive care and support whilst deciding whether to assist the authorities. It is a national scheme and takes referrals from across the country.
	The Home Office's new £2.4 million funding agreement with Eaves Housing allows for, among other things, the first ever specialist national outreach service in the UK for victims trafficked for sexual exploitation.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Arms Trade Treaty

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he plans to take to increase his Department's efforts, resources and capacity to deliver an Arms Trade Treaty.

Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to my previous responses to two parliamentary questions on 4 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1747 and 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1453W.

British Military Hardware Sales

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what British military hardware has been sold to the United Arab Emirates in the last five years.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government publish detailed information on their export licensing decisions by destination, in their annual and quarterly reports on strategic export controls. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs collects some data on exports of military list items which is published, by destination, in the annual reports.
	The Government's annual reports are available from the Libraries of both Houses, and the quarterly reports, from the DTI export control organisation website:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/europeandtrade/strategic-export-control/
	We expect to publish the 2005 annual report by June 2006.

Coal Supply

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what projections his Department has made of future levels of  (a) British deep-mined and  (b) imported coal supply.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department does not make separate projections of British deep-mined, surface-mined and imported coal supply. The most recent projections of primary energy demands to 2020, including solid fuels, were published in February 2006 and are available at:
	www.dti.gov.uk/files/file26363.pdf

Coal Supply

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment his Department has made of the need for a long-term supply of indigenous deep-mined coal as part of the UK's future energy mix.

Malcolm Wicks: UK coal production and the place of coal as a generating feedstock are being considered in the Energy Review. The Energy Review will report in the summer.

Consultants

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which firms have been engaged by his Department over the past 12 months to provide consultancy services on energy issues.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 23 May 2006
	Listed as follows are the providers of consultancy services to the Energy Group during the financial year 2005-06:
	Peter Lockyer Advertising Ltd.
	Herbert Smith
	RWE Nukem Ltd.
	Redpoint Energy Ltd.
	Jackson Consulting UK Ltd.
	Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
	University of Leeds
	Douglas Westwood Ltd.
	TNEI Services Ltd.
	EConnect Ltd.
	TMD Technologies Ltd.
	Climate Change Capital Ltd.
	Cranfield University
	Wyg Consulting Ltd.
	International Energy Agency
	Synnogy Ltd.
	Health and Safety Executive
	Corbis Consulting Ltd.
	David Reay Consulting
	Paul Arwas Associate
	Nautilus Associates Ltd.
	Cogent Sector Services Ltd.
	Faraday Management Solutions
	Optimat Ltd.
	Cogent
	Centre for Sustainable Energy
	KPMG
	Parity Resources Ltd.
	Dash Optimization Ltd.
	Oxera Consulting Ltd.
	Enviros Consulting Ltd.
	AEA Technology Environment/AEA Technology PLC
	Ecofys UK Ltd.
	Oxford Economic Forecasting Ltd.
	Entec UK Ltd.
	Cyrrus Associates Ltd.
	Enigma Interactive Ltd.
	Newcastle United Conference and Banqueting
	Quiet Life Creative Ltd.
	Malmaison
	CP Energy Ltd.
	European Youth Parliament UK
	Yorkshire Agricultural Society
	Newcastle City Council
	Northumberland County Council
	Rural Developments Initiative Ltd.
	Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM)
	North Energy Associates Ltd.
	Newcastle Chronicle and Journal Ltd.
	Tadea (Tees and Durham Energy Advice)
	Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd
	Pinsent Masons
	Wyn Quentin Bowen
	HTSPE Ltd.
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)
	Westminster Sonus Ltd.
	Strategic Controls Consultancy Ltd.
	European Van Lines International Ltd.
	US Department of Energy
	Jaakko Poyry Management Consulting
	Turner and Townsend Project Management
	British Ornithologists Union
	BNFL Environmental Services
	CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science)
	Tongdean Management Ltd.
	Ernst and Young LLP
	Deloitte and Touche
	Odgers Ray and Berndtson
	Towers Perrin
	Lambert Smith Hampton Property Solutions
	EMC Energy Markets Consultancy
	Offshore Design Ltd.
	Energy Advice Ltd.
	Connect Conferences
	Office for National Statistics (ONS)
	Building Research Establishment
	PERA Innovation Ltd.
	Logic Leading Oil and Gas
	Envirolink North West
	Wetlands Advisory Service
	Joint Nature Conservation
	BMT Renewables Ltd.
	Anatec UK Ltd.
	Daventrynet
	Seafish Industry Authority

Consultants

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was spent by his Department on consultants providing advice on energy issues over the past 12 months.

Malcolm Wicks: In the financial year 2005-06, the Energy Group of the DTI spent £4 million on consultants to provide advice on energy issues.

Energy Distribution

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regional distribution of  (a) electricity,  (b) gas and  (c) heat networks for the implementation of the Government's microgeneration strategy.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has undertaken some assessment of the impact that increased levels of electricity generating microgeneration will have on the distribution network. This research suggests that the network will not experience problems below penetration levels of 50 per cent. We have not undertaken any similar analysis of the gas and heat networks.
	An important characteristic of mot microgeneration technologies is that they can provide a "stand-alone" source of heat and/or electricity with no requirement for connection to electricity, gas or heat networks.

Energy Review

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer to question 72558, which external assessments of the total life-cycle carbon costs of nuclear power will be taken account of in the review of energy policy.

Malcolm Wicks: The studies that will be considered include:
	Japan Central Research Institute (1996)
	Sweden, Vattenfall (1999 and 2000)
	Finland, A Kivisto
	Germany, Institute for Applied Ecology (1997)
	Storm van Leeuven and Smith (SLS) (2001 to 2005)
	Torness—a study for BE by AEA Technology (2005)
	EC ExternE (2003)

Household Energy Supplies

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of houses in the UK which do not require external energy sources.

Malcolm Wicks: We do not have an estimate of the number of houses in the UK that do not require any external energy source (i.e. receive neither gas nor electricity from the national grids). However, a study we commissioned from the Energy Saving Trust suggests that at the end of 2004 there were around 82,000 microgeneration installations in the UK, which means that at least 82,000 dwellings and community buildings are not wholly reliant on external energy sources.

Nuclear Decommissioning

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in respect of the adequacy of skills available to implement the nuclear decommissioning and waste management strategy approved in April by his Department and the devolved Administrations.

Malcolm Wicks: The NDA addresses the level and adequacy of skills available to deliver its mission in the context of the Life Time Plans which each of its sites has in place. (The Life Time Plans set out the total scope of activities e.g. project scope, schedule, and cost which need to be undertaken over each site's planned lifetime to bring the site to its proposed end state). The process is that each site produces a skills strategy which, as a minimum, covers the following areas: key skills required in the short, medium, and long term; identification of skills gaps and links to the migration of the existing work force; sensitivities relating to demographic change; recruitment and training strategies; links with training providers; succession planning; and supply chain strategies for long-term availability of skills. The sites' skills strategies are analysed and developed by the NDA to ensure the appropriate supporting infrastructure is in place, and that any key issues or skills gaps are identified.

Severn Barrage Project

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated into the merits of a Severn Barrage Project.

Malcolm Wicks: Between 1978 and 1994 the Government supported the most comprehensive programme of research and development on tidal energy in the world at an overall cost in excess of £20 million. Those studies considered tidal barrage energy schemes at a number of potential sites, the largest being in the Severn estuary. The results of the Severn Barrage study were reported in Energy Paper 57 (ISBN 0 11 412952 5).
	The most recent study of the Severn scheme was carried out by the Severn Tidal Power Group in 2002 and available at www.dti.gov.uk/files/filel5363.pdf? pubpdfdload=02%2F644
	The Department is currently part way through an energy review that will consider all options and opportunities for ensuring we meet our medium and longer-term energy goals.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Official Residences (Council Tax)

Eric Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which Government Department was responsible for making council tax payments to Westminster city council for his official residence in Admiralty House from 1997 to 2005.

John Prescott: The Ministry of Defence was responsible for making council tax payments to Westminster city council for my official residence in 1997-98. In 2002-03 responsibility for making those payments rested with the Cabinet Office. In the years since, responsibility has rested with the then Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions or the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bushmen of the Kalahari

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the welfare of the Bushmen of the Kalahari since their rehousing by the Government of Botswana; what representations the Government have made to the Government of Botswana on this issue; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Since relocation, approximately 2,000 San (Bushmen) from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve have had enhanced access to water, medical facilities and education. There are differing views among the San communities as to whether these benefits outweigh those of their former lifestyle. Although there have been no representations at ministerial level, our high commission in Gaborone has encouraged both the San and their representatives and the Government of Botswana to address these issues, through a process of dialogue.

European Defence Agency

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans there are to change the number of members of staff working for the European Defence Agency.

Adam Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
	The European Defence Agency's 2006 budget was agreed in November 2005 on the basis of ninety-four staff. To date, no recruiting action has been taken on two of these posts. These will remain unfilled until the Agency's Steering Board decides that they are required. Any plans to change the number of staff working for the Agency in future years will be considered when the Steering Board approves the 2007 budget and the Agency's Council, acting by unanimity, approves the 3 year financial framework for the Agency later this year.

Guantanamo Bay

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the response to the letter which her predecessor wrote to Dr. Condoleezza Rice requesting the release of Mr. Bisher Al-Rawi from Guantanamo Bay on non-humanitarian grounds.

Kim Howells: The US Government replied to my right hon. Friend the former Foreign Secretary's (Jack Straw) letter on 27 April. However, since the response is part of ongoing confidential Government to Government correspondence, the release of the reply would be likely to prejudice international relations and adversely affect the handling of this case. For these reasons I am unable to place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Iran

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations her Department has made to the Government of Iran regarding the treatment of Baha'is in that country.

Kim Howells: We continue to have serious concerns about the situation of religious minorities in Iran. We have received numerous reports of discrimination against those wishing to practise minority faiths, including the Baha'i community. Ministers and officials have pressed the Iranian authorities on many occasions to address the intimidation and discrimination suffered by Iranian Baha'is. At our suggestion, the EU Presidency did so on 31 January and on 11 April. Most recently the EU raised the matter on 29 May. On 10 April, EU Foreign Ministers underlined their
	"continued concerns about the human rights situation in Iran, in particular regarding the situation of Baha'is".
	We have also taken action at the UN. We were pleased that all EU countries co-sponsored a UN General Assembly resolution on human rights in Iran in December last year. This expressed serious concern at, inter alia,
	"the escalation and increased frequency of discrimination and other human rights violations against the Baha'i, including cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, the denial of freedom of religion or of publicly carrying out communal affairs, the disregard of property rights, the destruction of sites of religious importance, the suspension of social, educational and community-related activities and the denial of access to higher education, employment, pensions, adequate housing and other benefits".
	We expect Iran to uphold freedom of religion and belief in accordance with its international obligations under Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Sri Lanka

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the political situation in Sri Lanka.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) on 5 June 2006,  Official Report, columns 341-342W.

United States

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her answer of 6 February 2006, Official Report, columns 784-85W to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Clegg), on the United States, whether UK responsibilities or obligations would be engaged by the passage through UK  (a) territory and  (b) overseas territories of a plane which was travelling directly to a third country in order to conduct a rendition, but on which no detainee was present.

Kim Howells: The extent of any engagement of the UK's responsibilities and obligations would depend on the facts and circumstances of each case.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Election Turnout

Philip Hollobone: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what assessment the Electoral Commission has made of the implications for voter participation of extended polling time in elections.

Peter Viggers: In its review of election timetables in 2003, the Electoral Commission recommended standardising the hours of polling for all elections at those used for parliamentary general elections and other national elections, to increase participation and reduce confusion between local and parliamentary elections.
	The Government agreed with this recommendation and the standardised polling hours of 7 am to 10 pm applied generally at local government elections in England for the first time in May 2006. The Commission informs me that it is collecting data from returning officers on levels of voting during the additional polling hours, and intends to publish the results of its analysis in late summer 2006.
	The Commission has also evaluated a number of electoral pilot schemes trialling extended polling hours at local elections since 2002. In these, between 5 and 10 per cent. of people voting in person at polling stations chose to take advantage of the extended polling hours.

PRIME MINISTER

Ministerial Discussions

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister on what occasions since 1 January 2004 he has discussed the situation in Iraq with the US President; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Prime Minister what matters he expects to discuss at his forthcoming meeting in Washington DC with President George Bush.

Tony Blair: I regularly have discussions on a wide range of issues with President Bush, including on Iraq.
	I also refer the hon. Members to the press conference I held with President Bush on 25 May 2006. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Allowances Rules

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will take steps to review the rules which prevent payment of carer's allowance and bereavement allowance at the same time.

James Plaskitt: It is a basic principle of the social security system that only one benefit at a time can be paid for income maintenance and there are no plans to change this rule.
	Bereavement allowance is an income maintenance benefit for those who have lost a spouse who had worked and therefore contributed to the national insurance scheme, whilst carer's allowance provides a measure of income maintenance for those forgoing the opportunity of full-time employment to care for a severely disabled person who is entitled to attendance allowance or the middle or highest rate of the disability living allowance care component.
	In practice, where there is entitlement to both benefits, bereavement allowance as a contributory benefit takes precedence. However, where the rate of bereavement allowance is less than the rate of carer's allowance, an amount of carer's allowance can be paid to make up the difference. Even where no carer's allowance can be paid, underlying entitlement to the allowance gives access to the carer premium in income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit, and to the carer's additional amount in pension credit.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Arm's-Length Bodies

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many arm's-length bodies have been  (a) established and  (b) dissolved by each Government Department in the Province in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: The tables show the number of non-departmental public bodies established and dissolved by each Government Department for which central records are available between 1997 and March 2006.
	
		
			  Non-departmental Public Bodies Created 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  Total 
			 DE 1 — — — — — — — — 1 
			 DFP — — — — — 1 — — — 1 
			 DED 1 — — — — — — — — 1 
			 DOE — — — — 1 — — — — 1 
			 DHSSPS — — — — 1 2 — 1 — 4 
			 DETI — — — — — 1 — — — 1 
			 DRD — — — — — — — 1 — 1 
			 NIO — 3 2 4 1 1 1 — — 12 
			 OFMDFM — — — — — — 5 — — 5 
			 Total 2 3 2 4 3 5 6 2 0 27 
		
	
	
		
			  Non-departmental Public Bodies Dissolved 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  Total 
			 DE 2 — — — — — — — — 2 
			 DFP 1 — — — — — — — — 1 
			 DHSS 9 — 5 — — — — — — 14 
			 DED — 1 5 — — — — — — 6 
			 DARD — — 1 — — — — — 1 2 
			 DOE — — 2 — 1 — — — — 3 
			 DHSSPS — — — 1 1 — — — — 2 
			 DHFETE — — — 1 — — — — — 1 
			 DEL — — — — 2 — — — — 2 
			 DSD — — — — 1 — — — — 1 
			 DETI — — — —  3 — — — 3 
			 DRD — — — — 1 — — — — 1 
			 Other* — — — — — — 1 — — 1 
			 NIO — 2 — 1 — 1 — 1 — 5 
			 Total 12 3 13 3 6 4 1 1 1 44

Cars (Biofuels)

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cars in Northern Ireland run on biofuels.

David Cairns: Information supplied by manufacturers of cars about propulsion fuel types is captured when cars are registered. Biofuel is not one of the fuel types reported by manufacturers and accordingly no information about the number of these vehicles is held on the vehicle register.

Chewing Gum Tax

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will introduce a chewing gum tax in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: I have no plans to introduce a chewing gum tax in Northern Ireland.

Consultancy Fees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the companies which were paid consultancy fees by his Department in 2005-06; how much each was paid; and what each of the companies was used to accomplish.

Peter Hain: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Name of consultancy company  What they were employed to accomplish  Amount paid to consultancy firm (figs to be supplied by FSD) (£) 
			 Mark Baker To review the police service Northern Ireland special duty allowance 7,000.00 
			 Queens University Belfast Evaluate drug project in young offenders centre 9,054.40 
			 Williamson Consulting Evaluate Ballymena drug project 14,526.00 
			 Williamson Consulting Evaluate Derry drug project 21,713.50 
			 Deloitte Independent evaluation of Radiolink Schemes 27,139.38 
			 AV Browne Development and production of Theft from Vehicles campaign 2 48,268.00 
			 AV Browne Amend voice over for Theft from Vehicles radio advertisement. 659.70 
			 Anderson Spratt Group Amendment to Unknown Caller TV advertisement. 2,437.00 
			 Anderson Spratt Group Executive services for work on Unknown Caller TV advertisement. 425.00 
			 AV Browne Amendment to Domestic Violence TV advertisement. 26.25 
			 MMMA Evaluation of the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM) Racial Harassment and Advocacy Project 9,990.00 
			 Anderson Spratt Group Project RICH Support 7,635.86 
			 HP Improvement of business processes 19,369.98 
			 Deloitte To enhance the document management system 344,877.89 
			 TTC International Ltd. To carry out a review of the management, staffing and future development of gardening and grounds maintenance at Hillsborough Castle 11,485.62 
			 Daniell Consulting Ltd. An independent quality assurance review of the arrangements for the implementation of Part V of the Police Act 1997 in Northern Ireland 2,147.90 
			 Deloitte and Touche To assist with the implementation of the Criminal Justice Review recommendations leading to the creation and implementation of the public prosecution service Northern Ireland 608,124.00 
			 Mr. B. Hancock Provision of independent advice to the public prosecution service project board 8,050.00 
			 Ms A. Quinn Provision of independent advice to the public prosecution service project board 9,000.00 
			 Mr. R. Wilson Security consultant 2,199.00 
			 Mr. W. Hamilton Sturdy To assist with the implementation of ICT infrastructure/security 65,151.00 
			 White Young Green Professional advisors on accommodation project 229,718.00 
			 Quest Consulting Professional advisors on facilities management 9,607.00 
			 Mr. I. Morrison Professional advisors on counsel fees 21,158.00 
			 Prof M. McWilliams Advice on drafting of new policy for prosecuting cases of domestic violence 1,250.00 
			 Prof J. Jackson Launch of public prosecution service 2,000.00 
			 Mr. A. MacLaughlin Independent assessor of complaints 7,921.00 
			 Internet Solutions Ireland/Fluent Technology Provision of new IT system for the State Pathologist's Department 126,000.00 
			 Deloitte MCS Ltd. Business case for new case management system for the State Pathologist's Department 4,000.00 
			 Deloitte MCS Ltd. Status review of the State Pathologist's Department 12,000.00 
			 Business Development Service Staffing review of the State Pathologist's Department laboratory 16,000.00 
			 Osprey Mott MacDonald/Mott MacDonald Ltd Forensic Science Northern Ireland accommodation project—Project Management and Technical Design Services 81,000.00 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers Forensic science Northern Ireland accommodation project-financial services 20,000.00 
			 Anne McMurray Consulting Helping to develop a vision for Youth Justice Agency 1,900.00 
			 N I Youth Forum Consultation with young people on developments in Youth Justice Agency 2,500.00 
			 Napier Watson Consulting Ltd. Ongoing client advisor and quality assurance officer to Juvenile Justice Centre project 40,000.00 
			 Bill Duffy Ongoing design consultancy and operational advice to Juvenile Justice Centre project 7,000.00 
			 Anderson Spratt Group Ongoing communications advisors to Juvenile Justice Centre project 10,000.00 
			 Keppies Design Ltd. Ongoing design consultancy and operational advice to Juvenile Justice Centre project 120,000.00 
			 Turley Associates Ongoing planning consultants to Juvenile Justice Centre project to obtain outline planning permission for new JJC and residential housing development on surplus land 6,000.00 
			 L' Estrange and Brett Ongoing legal advice to Juvenile Justice Centre project 56,000.00 
			 Brendan Boyle Preparation and invitation to tender document for Crown Solicitors Office IT Project 2,643.75 
			 Deloitte Total Reward and Benefits Ltd. Provision of consultancy services on pensions provisions for police lateral entry scheme 22,431.00 
			 Critical Intervention Consultancy services Ltd. Provision of specialist advice to ACPO and UK Steering Group on Less Lethal Weapons 54,050.83 
			 JBM Consultants External equality facilitator and assessor 12,933.00 
			 CPCR Consultancy for Leadership Programme for Grade A and SCS and skills transfer to NIO Business Improvement Team staff 30,581.58 
			 David Clutterbuck Consultancy re Peoplebank Mentoring Scheme 23,783.94 
			 Tony Greenaway Consultancy re Investors in People accreditation 6,421.33 
			 Martin Alnutt Consultancy re Tracking/Evaluation of Leadership programme for Grade A and SCS 2,066.70 
			 Tim Lewis Recruitment Project management and IT expertise 207,129.67 
			 Deloitte MCS Ltd. Project Management and IT expertise 112,272.45 
			
			  Total 2,467,648.73

Contaminated Land

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2005,  Official Report, column 88W, on contaminated land, what sites in Belfast the Department has identified as contaminated from former land use.

David Cairns: The Waste and Contaminated Land (NI) Order 1997 provides a statutory definition of contaminated land, based on the risks of significant harm to human health and the environment, or pollution of controlled waters given the current land use and environmental setting.
	The Department of the Environment has not identified any former industrial sites in Belfast as contaminated land. Its Land Use Database has identified locations where former industrial use may have caused contamination, but does not quantify the areas of land involved. The Department of the Environment plans to update the Database over the next 12 months.

Crosshill Quarry

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland gave authority to the contractor for the cutting of the railway carriages in Crosshill Quarry.

David Cairns: The Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland was not required to give authority to the contractor for the cutting of the railway carriages in Crosshill Quarry.
	Environment and Heritage Service was under no requirement to take a direct involvement in the cutting and reburial of the carriages.
	When the work commenced, Antrim borough council was the waste regulatory body for Crosshill Quarry. EHS (on behalf of the Department) did not take on this responsibility until the introduction of the Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 on 19 December 2003.

Curricula

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will commission research into the experience of other European countries of the use of the teaching and learning methods embodied in the Early Years Enriched Curriculum Project in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Throughout the development of the Foundation Curriculum, which includes the enriched curriculum for children in Years 1 and 2, the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) took account of international and national research. The council commissioned a literature review from QUB Research Team which was submitted in September 2001. This literature review drew attention to good practice in early years education and international comparisons in relation to such factors as performance, literacy, numeracy, and emotional and social development.

Dangerous Wild Animals

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations his Department has received regarding the possible introduction of a dangerous wild animals Act in the last three years.

David Cairns: The Department of the Environment has no record of any representation relating to dangerous wild animals in the last three years.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the guidelines are for filling vacancies in  (a) each Department in Northern Ireland and  (b) the Northern Ireland Office while a grievance procedure relating to the filling of the same vacancy is ongoing.

David Hanson: The filling of specific vacancies is generally carried out through the "Trawl" procedure whereby individuals apply for posts against specified criteria. If an individual is short listed out they have 10 days to appeal. Once the appeal decision has been made the competition can proceed.
	There is no distinction on the operation of "Trawls" between Northern Ireland Civil Service Departments and the Northern Ireland Office.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in  (a) each Department and  (b) the Northern Ireland Office did not achieve an acceptable mark in their annual report in each of the last three years; and what percentage this represented of the total number of staff in each case.

David Hanson: The information below shows the number of staff, by Department, awarded a box 4 or box 5 in 2003-04 and 2004-05. Information on box markings for 2005-06 will not be available until after December 2006.
	Figures for Departments which have less than five box 4/5 markings have not been included on the basis of confidentiality.
	
		
			  2003-04( 1) 
			  Department  Number of box 4/5  Total box marks  Percentage of box 4/5 
			 DARD 7 3,182 0.2 
			 DFP 8 2,712 0.3 
			 DOE 6 1,853 0.3 
			 DSD 35 7,311 0.5 
			 NIO 13 1,647 0.8 
			 Total 90 23,743 0.4 
			 (1) NICS data based on the 92 per cent. of box markings on the database at December 2004. NIO data based on the 91 per cent. of box markings on the database at May 2005.  Note: OFREG and HSENI excluded from DETI. 
		
	
	
		
			  2004-05( 1) 
			  Department  Number of box 4/5  Total box marks  Percentage of box 4/5 
			 DARD 15 3,136 0.5 
			 DFP 16 2,772 0.6 
			 DOE 8 2,045 0.4 
			 DRD 11 2,758 0.4 
			 DSD 35 7,454 0.5 
			 NIO 14 1,706 0.8 
			 Total 105 24,294 0.4 
			 (1) NICS data based on the 92 per cent. of box markings on the database at December 2005. NIO data based on the 92 per cent. of box markings on the database at April 2006.  Note: OFREG and HSENI excluded from DETI.

Dogs

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dog attacks on people have been reported in each of the last five years in Northern Ireland, broken down by local authority.

David Cairns: The number of reported dog attacks on people in Northern Ireland, broken down by councils, for the last available five year period 2000 to 2004 is detailed in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1: Dog attacks on people in Northern Ireland 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Antrim 15 17 16 18 25 
			 Ards 6 17 20 26 34 
			 Armagh 26 31 37 25 46 
			 Ballymena 8 18 40 21 16 
			 Ballymoney 6 1 9 9 10 
			 Banbridge 28 16 23 12 22 
			 Belfast 121 126 96 97 98 
			 Carrick 19 21 11 18 12 
			 Castlereagh 31 35 17 28 22 
			 Coleraine 35 45 52 39 42 
			 Cookstown 3 2 3 7 5 
			 Craigavon 9 5 8 15 24 
			 Derry 80 109 133 86 117 
			 Down 14 39 48 57 57 
			 Dungannon 25 13 22 13 10 
			 Fermanagh 29 20 27 26 30 
			 Larne 9 0 6 2 0 
			 Limavady 19 33 26 20 19 
			 Lisburn 85 30 40 40 54 
			 Magherafelt 3 4 2 7 4 
			 Moyle 9 8 3 10 5 
			 Newry 23 16 22 15 13 
			 Newtownabbey 59 42 39 31 52 
			 North Down 64 48 24 40 52 
			 Omagh 12 13 2 8 14 
			 Strabane 3 21 6 27 — 
			 Grand total 741 730 732 697 783 
			  Source: Annual Statistics: All Councils

Dogs

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dogs have been destroyed under an order in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years.

David Cairns: The number of dogs destroyed under the Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 for each of the last full years from 1999 to 2004 is detailed in the table. Figures are not available for years before 1999.
	
		
			  Dogs destroyed in Northern Ireland( 1) 
			   Total number of dogs destroyed 
			 1999 6,965 
			 2000 5,882 
			 2001 4,664 
			 2002 4,534 
			 2003 4,132 
			 2004 3,371 
			 (1 )Annual statistics: all councils.

Drug Addicts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many registered drug addicts there are in each  (a) local health authority and  (b) ward in Northern Ireland, listed in descending order; what percentage of the total this represents in each case; and how much was spent on drug addiction services by each local health authority in 2004-05.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Addicts Index Database holds information on all those persons registered in concurrence with the Misuse of Drugs (Notification of and Supply to Addicts) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 1973. It is based on a specific list of drugs, not necessarily all those which are used by addicts, and is dependent on GPs and other doctors submitting the relevant information. It does not represent the full total of those currently in treatment for problem drug use in Northern Ireland. The latest figures from the Database shows that in 2004-05 there were 239 'registered drug addicts'. Their distribution by Health and Social Services Board (HSSB) is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Registered addicts by Health and Social Services Board 2005 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 Northern HSSB 102 43 
			 Eastern HSSB 97 41 
			 Western HSSB 20 8 
			 Southern HSSB 15 6 
			 Total (1)239 100 
			 (1 )This figure includes five individuals for whom Health and Social Services Board data could not be established. 
		
	
	The data collected for the database do not facilitate description of those on the register by council ward or parliamentary constituency.
	In respect of expenditure on addiction services, the four Health and Social Services Boards do not differentiate between those receiving treatment for problem alcohol and drug misuse and co-dependency (both substances).
	For 2004-05 the four Health and Social Services Boards report expenditure on combined drug and alcohol addiction services as follows.
	
		
			  Health and Social Services Board  Expenditure (£) 
			 Northern 1,501,412 
			 Southern 766,935 
			 Eastern 3,069,771 
			 Western 1,836,715 
			 Total 7,174,883

Fuel Poverty

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many households in each  (a) parliamentary constituency and  (b) district council area in Northern Ireland are recognised as fuel poor.

David Hanson: The 2004 Interim House Condition Survey collected fuel poverty information on a Northern Ireland wide basis and due to the small sample size it is not possible to break down the information into parliamentary constituency or district council area. This indicates that the overall number of households in fuel poverty has reduced from 203,000 to 153,530 with the number of vulnerable households decreasing from 181,000 to 126,100 for the same period.

Fuel Poverty

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made with the implementation of the Northern Ireland Fuel Poverty Strategy since its launch; and when the action plan is expected to be published.

David Hanson: 'Ending Fuel Poverty: A Strategy for Northern Ireland' was launched in November 2004 and since then approximately £150 million has been spent on programmes to directly tackle fuel poverty. I have also established the Northern Ireland Fuel Poverty Advisory Group and the Interdepartmental Group on Fuel Poverty to monitor and review the Fuel Poverty Strategy and ensure a partnership approach to tackling fuel poverty.
	I will launch the Interdepartmental Group on Fuel Poverty Report in early July and this will detail the action plan for tackling fuel poverty in 2006-07.

Gaelic Athletic Association

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has received a request from the Gaelic Athletic Association to meet to discuss the draft PPS 14.

David Cairns: Mr. Danny Murphy, Secretary to Ulster Council GAA, wrote to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 5 April 2006 to express the organisation's concerns on the introduction of draft PPS 14 and to ask for a meeting. My hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. Woodward) replied to this letter as the responsible Minister regretting that heavy diary commitments prevented him meeting members of the Ulster Council in person. He advised that views expressed in the letter would be recorded as a representation and considered and that officials would be pleased to provide clarification on the draft planning policy statement if requested. No subsequent request was received.

Geddis Farm

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take action to stop the fire burning at the Geddis' Farm in Helen's Bay, North Down; and what research has been undertaken by his Department into the environmental damage caused by this fire.

David Cairns: The legal responsibility for stopping the fire burning at Geddis' Farm rests with North Down borough council. This can be achieved by use of Article 28 of the Waste and Contaminated Land (NI) Order 1997.
	The Department of the Environment's Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) is able to take prosecution action for the treatment of waste on an unlicensed site. EHS initiated a prosecution case against Mr. Geddis for the unauthorised disposal of waste. The case was heard on 15 February 2006 and Mr. Geddis was found guilty, in his absence. However, he subsequently was able to convince the court to set aside his convictions because he claimed that he had contacted the Public Prosecution Service to request an adjournment. A date for a new hearing has yet to be arranged.
	EHS has not undertaken any research into the environmental damage caused by the fire.

Landfill

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what measures are being put in place to help businesses in Northern Ireland reduce the amount of waste they dispose of to landfill;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to assist businesses in Northern Ireland to meet the obligations imposed under Government and EU Environmental policies and strategies.

David Cairns: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given during the Grand Committee debate on 7 February 2006,  Official Report, column 12. My noble Friend, Lord Rooker will write to the hon. Gentleman in response to his supplementary question on landfill tax revenue.

Limavady Learning Partnership

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  when the Department of Education will make available  (a) resources and  (b) guidance to Limavady Learning Partnership to enable it to implement a strategic plan to deal with widening public choice and tackling social disadvantage;
	(2)  if he will ensure that the Limavady Learning Partnership receives the required resources and guidance from the Department of Education to enable it to implement its strategic plan on widening pupil choice and tackling social disadvantage.

Maria Eagle: The details of schools to be offered funding for Extended School activities through Theme 1 of the Children and Young People's Funding Package was announced on 6 June 2006. I have no plans through Extended Schools to fund organisations other than schools, though schools may, if they wish, pool their resources to form clusters or partnerships. A toolkit containing guidance for Extended Schools is also being made available. Not all the schools in the Limavady Learning Partnership will benefit from the announcement, but I would encourage those schools not selected to consider using some of their allocation from the £10 million additional funding package for schools that I announced on 5 June 2006 to support collaborative working.

Marine Pollution

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which areas of the Northern Ireland coast are judged to be most at risk from marine pollution.

David Cairns: The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) has recently undertaken a risk assessment of international and short seas shipping, associated port operations and past incidents in the seas surrounding the Northern Ireland coastline in order to identify the areas of the coastline which are most at risk. This work indicated that the areas most at risk are Rathlin Island, the coastline from the Gobbins in Co Antrim to Ballymacormick Point in Co Down and from Donaghadee to Portavogie.

Mournes National Park

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on the Mournes National Park project.

David Cairns: It is planned to consult at the end of 2007 on draft primary legislation that would provide a framework for the designation of national parks generally in Northern Ireland. In parallel with this, work specific to progressing the proposal for a Mournes National Park is in hand and the Mourne National Park working party plans to consult later this year on a proposed park boundary.

Moy Park Group

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what  (a) financial and  (b) other support has been provided to Ferne Foods Limited by (i) the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment, (ii) the Department of Employment and Learning and (iii) Invest Northern Ireland since it was taken over by the Moy Park Group.

Maria Eagle: Ferne Foods Limited in Lisnaskea became a joint venture with Moy Park Limited in 1994. Ferne Foods Limited was offered selective financial assistance from IDB in 1996 of £487,820. This was fully drawn down by 1999 and the Financial Assistance Agreement is no longer active. On 15 occasions from 1998 to 2004 Ferne Foods Limited has taken part in market awareness visits and group stands at exhibitions with Invest NI. IDB offered assistance towards training and development in 1996 of £159,510 of which £139,410 was drawn down. The Department of Employment and Learning supports all employers who request support by providing a job brokering services and suitable training programmes where appropriate.

Moy Park Group

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment was informed of the Moy Park Group's decision to close the Ferne Foods factory in Fermanagh.

Maria Eagle: Invest NI was informed on 18 May 2006 that a 90 day consultation period was announced for the Moy Park Group Lisnaskea plant and that the future of the plant is in severe doubt. Invest NI has not been informed by Moy Park Group that a decision to close the plant has been made.

Northern Ireland Roads Service Magazine

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of  (a) publication and  (b) distribution of the Northern Ireland Roads Service magazine, The Link: Investing in the Road Network of 30 May; and how many copies were printed.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service, Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, has been asked to write to my hon. Friend in response to this question.
	 Letter from Malcolm McKibbin, dated 7 June 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what the cost of (a) publication and (b) distribution was of the Northern Ireland Roads Service magazine, The Link: Investing in the Road Network of 30th May; and how many copies were printed.
	As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
	Roads Service recently produced a 32-page information supplement called 'The Link' on the M1/Westlink scheme. This is one of the largest and most high profile schemes ever undertaken by Roads Service and has attracted a huge level of public interest and an equally high level of demand from the media for information about the scheme. The supplement was distributed to homes across Northern Ireland in late May, through the 3 main newspapers.
	Road Service produced the supplement in house with the assistance of the Departmental Graphic Design Unit and Press Office, and the only costs incurred were for printing and insertion into the three main local daily papers. Some 206,000 copies were printed at a cost of £50,118, and associated distribution costs were approximately £8,500, which equates to just over 28 pence per copy.
	The supplement was a significant publication and forms part of our communication strategy to provide information to the public on this £104 million scheme.

Petrol/Electric Cars

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many hybrid petrol/electric cars have been sold in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what grants are available to those who wish to buy such vehicles.

David Cairns: The number of new hybrid electric/petrol cars registered in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years is:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001 1 
			 2002 2 
			 2003 2 
			 2004 17 
			 2005 (to 16 November) 52 
		
	
	UK-wide Government grants have previously been available under the PowerShift programme to those wishing to purchase certain hybrid vehicles. The programme is due to be replaced by the Low Carbon Car programme which is based on a technology neutral approach. Once cleared by the European Commission under state aid rules, the programme will provide grants towards the purchase of cars with particularly low carbon emissions. This is likely to include a number of hybrid vehicles and will be funded by the Department for Transport for England, Northern Ireland and Wales, and by the Scottish Executive for Scotland.

Plastic (Recycling)

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what tonnage of plastic was  (a) recovered and  (b) recycled in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The Department does not hold nor collate figures for the total amount of plastic that is recycled or recovered in Northern Ireland on an annual basis. Figures for separately collated municipal plastic sent for recycling in 2002, 2003 and 2004 were 724 tonnes, 1,221 tonnes and 1,712 tonnes respectively. This represents an increase of 130 per cent. over three years. Data are not available for previous years.
	Data on the amount of plastic actually reprocessed or recycled in Northern Ireland are limited to accredited reprocessors. One of these businesses has recently secured investment to increase the tonnage of waste plastic bottles it reprocesses to over 4,000 tonnes per annum.

Pollution

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans are in place to deal with a major pollution incident in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) has plans and resources in place in order to respond to a major pollution incident. During the year EHS runs two shoreline booming exercises in order to test its resource and command and control functions in response to a major coastal water pollution incident. The latest exercise, in mid-2005, was designed to test the agency's ability to protect the River Roe. In 2003, EHS took part in a major national coastal pollution response exercise in Lough Foyle, coordinated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which was designed to test the National Contingency Plan.
	EHS plans are currently undergoing an extensive review and this is due to be completed in the summer of 2006. As part of this, EHS is a partner in a European Union funded project designed to develop effective contingency plans which minimise the risk from coastal pollution using best practice from four European partners.

Pollution

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether protocols are in place to work with authorities in  (a) Scotland and  (b) the Irish Republic in the case of a major pollution incident in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: The Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) Water Pollution Incident response procedures describe a standard approach of response to a water pollution incident and this includes the agency's lines of communication in the event of a cross border/national boundary incident. As an example of cross border cooperation, EHS participated in a national exercise in Lough Foyle in 2003 which was designed to test the National Contingency Plan involving a cross border response to a major water pollution incident.
	EHS is currently a member of an environmental emergency planning group involving the Environment Agency in England and Wales, and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. This group meets regularly to discuss all matters involving the tri-agency response and preparedness to incidents of water pollution.

PSNI

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time officers are serving in the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The numbers of officers serving as of 20 July 2005 in the requested ranks are.
	
		
			   Number 
			 PSNI regular officers 7,458 
			 Reserve constable full-time 1,205 
			 Reserve constable part-time 753 
			 Constable part-time(1) 152 
			 (1) New title for officers recruited as new intake of part-time officers.

Psychology Degrees

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many psychology degree course places were available in the Province in 2005-06; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Information from Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster indicates that there was provision for 368 undergraduate places and 55 postgraduate places for entry onto psychology degree courses in 2005-06.

Psychology Degrees

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students will commence psychology degree courses in the Province over each of the next five years.

Maria Eagle: Queen's University Belfast and the University of Ulster have indicated that they currently plan to make provision for the following number of students to commence psychology degree courses over each of the next five years:
	
		
			   Undergraduate  Postgraduate 
			 2006-07 346 120 
			 2007-08 425 114 
			 2008-09 452 124 
			 2009-10 377 120 
			 2010-11 377 120 
			 Total 1,977 598 
		
	
	The actual intakes are a matter for the universities and are subject to change.

Railway Security

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions the railway line between Lisburn and Portadown has been closed because of security alerts in each of the last 10 years.

David Cairns: Translink advises that it does not have exact figures for closures of specific sections of the railway network readily available. However the information available on the number of Enterprise and cross border services disrupted by security alerts since 2001 is as follows:
	
		
			   Disruptions 
			 2001 694 
			 2002 76 
			 2003 130 
			 2004 74 
			 2005 90 
			 2006 8 
		
	
	Most of these disruptions would have been caused by alerts between Lisburn and Portadown.

Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 13 February 2006,  Official Report, columns 1533-4W, on rates, when he will place in the Library a copy of  (a) the internal guidance on the assessment and valuation of domestic properties and  (b) a full list of data fields relating to value significant codes and property attributes.

David Hanson: Internal guidance on the assessment and valuation of domestic properties and a full list of data fields relating to value significant codes and property attributes have now been placed in the Library.

Road Safety

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the discussions which have taken place between the Road Safety Steering Group and the equivalent body in the Republic of Ireland on a north/south approach to road safety on the island of Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: While there have been no formal discussions between the Road Safety Steering Group and the equivalent body in the Republic of Ireland on a north/south approach to road safety, there has continued to be a high level of cooperation on road safety matters.
	Since a previous response on 23 November 2005,  Official Report, columns 2013-14W, the ninth joint road safety campaign tackling drink driving, has been launched.
	On 9 February 2006 letters of agreement were exchanged between the UK and Ireland to put in place arrangements allowing driving disqualifications to be recognised in both countries regardless of where the offences took place. This will allow the worst offenders, who would otherwise be escaping the rule of law, to be removed from the road. At the same time a commitment was also made that officials would explore possible measures for dealing with driving offences at levels below that of disqualification.

Roads Service

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many properties the Roads Service has compulsorily purchased for future road schemes in each of the last 20 years, broken down by division in Northern Ireland;
	(2)  what requirements are in place for the maintenance of property compulsorily purchased by the Roads Service before completion of the relevant road scheme;

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	 Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 20 February 2006.
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland two Parliamentary Questions regarding compulsory purchased properties owned by Roads Service:
	how many properties the Roads Service has compulsorily purchased for future road schemes in each of the last 20 years, broken down by division in Northern Ireland; and
	what requirements are in place for the maintenance of property compulsorily purchased by the Roads Service before completion of the relevant road scheme.
	As these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service I have been asked to reply.
	The following table details the number of properties compulsorily purchased or purchased under blight by Roads Service in each of the last 20 years, which haven't yet been used for a proposed road scheme.
	
		
			  Number of properties acquired 
			   Northern division  Southern division  Western division  Eastern division 
			 1985 0 0 0 0 
			 1986 0 1 0 0 
			 1987 0 0 0 0 
			 1988 0 0 0 0 
			 1989 0 0 0 4 
			 1990 0 0 0 1 
			 1991 0 0 0 1 
			 1992 0 0 0 3 
			 1993 0 0 0 2 
			 1994 0 0 0 0 
			 1995 0 0 0 2 
			 1996 0 0 0 1 
			 1997 0 0 0 5 
			 1998 0 0 0 2 
			 1999 0 0 0 2 
			 2000 0 0 0 2 
			 2001 0 0 0 0 
			 2002 0 0 0 0 
			 2003 0 0 0 1 
			 2004 0 0 0 0 
			 2005 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	The day-to-day management of property acquired by Roads Service in advance of road schemes is carried out by the Department for Social Development's Lands Service, under the terms of a Service Level Agreement (currently under review). The term 'management' as defined in the Service Level Agreement includes the letting of land, collection of rent, rent review, rent accounting and maintenance of property. It also includes the supervision of derelict land and buildings to ensure that they do not constitute a danger to the public and the safeguarding of vacant land against vandals.

Roads Service

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many  (a) properties and  (b) gardens have been bought by the Roads Service in the Shandon Park area of East Belfast in each of the last 25 years; and on what date each site was (i) purchased, (ii) last maintained and (iii) completed;
	(2)  how much the Roads Service has spent purchasing property in the Shandon Park area of East Belfast in connection with the proposed link road between Ascot Park and Shandon Park.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	 Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 20 February 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland two Parliamentary Questions regarding the Shandon Park area:
	how many  (a) properties and  (b) gardens have been bought by the Roads Service in the Shandon Park area of East Belfast in each of the last 25 years and on what date each site was (i) purchased, (ii) last maintained and (iii) completed; and
	how much the Roads Service has spent purchasing property in the Shandon Park area of East Belfast in connection with the proposed link road between Ascot Park and Shandon Park.
	As these issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
	By way of background, I should explain that the proposed widening of the A55 at Knock Road is included in the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan and Roads Service's Major Works Preparation Pool. The two detailed options still being considered are a dual carriageway or two lanes in both directions with right turning lanes at junctions. Both of these options currently include a link road from Ascot Park to Shandon Park. We plan to present these options at a public consultation day in spring 2006.
	In the past 25 years, 2 properties/gardens were acquired by Roads Service for the proposed A55 widening scheme—number 2 Shandon Park (purchased 23 May 1984) and number 4 Shandon Park (purchased 7 December 1987). Both these properties were subsequently demolished. In addition, 2 properties/gardens were acquired for the associated proposed link road from Ascot Park to Shandon Park—number 11 Shandon Park (purchased 17 November 1997) and number 13 Shandon Park (purchased 7 February 2003). The total cost for these two properties was £406,000.
	The day-to-day management of property acquired by Roads Service in advance of road schemes is carried out by the Department for Social Development's Lands Service, under the terms of a Service Level Agreement (currently under review). This document, among other things, stipulates response times for reacting to maintenance problems.
	DSD colleagues have advised that 11 and 13 Shandon Park were rented to tenants but vacated in January and February 2005 respectively. Unfortunately DSD was unsuccessful in its efforts to secure new tenants for them after advertising in the local press in June 2005.
	I understand maintenance work has been ongoing at these properties. At 11 Shandon Park work was carried out between February and April 2005 with further work to be carried out this month. At 13 Shandon Park maintenance work was also carried out in June, July and September 2005 and in January 2006.

School Governor Training

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how much each education and library board in Northern Ireland has spent on school governor training in each of the last 10 years, broken down by  (a) staff costs,  (b) facility hire,  (c) refreshments and  (d) other expenses;
	(2)  how much each education and library board expects to spend in 2006-07 on training for school governors.

Maria Eagle: Records for all five education and library boards are only available for the four financial years 2002-03 to 2005-06. Figures for the Western Board will be forwarded when they become available on 12 June. Details of the actual expenditure for the other boards for these years plus the 2006-07 anticipated expenditure figures are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Financial year/ELB  Staff costs  Facility hire  Refreshments  Other expenses  Total 
			  2005-06  
			 Belfast 30,000 650 0 1,000 31,650 
			 North-eastern 41,468 851 (1)— 1,970 44,289 
			 South-eastern 22,574 1,075 360 1,949 25,958 
			 Southern 20,500 1,900 (1)— 3,042 25,442 
			 Western — — — — — 
			   
			  2004-05  
			 Belfast 28,000 1,100 0 1,000 30,100 
			 North-eastern 39,434 932 (1)— 838 41,204 
			 South-eastern 18,842 5,280 425 3,235 27,782 
			 Southern 20,000 1,900 (1)— 3,042 24,942 
			 Western — — — — — 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 Belfast 27,000 1,050 0 1,000 29,050 
			 North-eastern 40,984 1,694 (1)— 3,024 45,702 
			 South-eastern 18,093 4,250 350 2,718 25,411 
			 Southern 19,500 1,900 (1)— 3,042 24,442 
			 Western — — — — — 
			   
			  2002-03  
			 Belfast 25,000 500 0 1,000 26,500 
			 North-eastern 38,692 1,232 (1)— 1,710 41,634 
			 South-eastern 15,927 3,000 175 978 20,080 
			 Southern 19,000 1,900 (1)— 3,042 23,942 
			 Western — — — — — 
			 (1) Included in facility hire. 
		
	
	
		
			  2006-07 anticipated expenditure 
			   Amount (£) 
			 Belfast 26,650 
			 North-Eastern 47,660 
			 South-Eastern 27,371 
			 Southern 29,550 
			 Western 25,000

Sex Offenders

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 11 May 2006,  Official Report, column 541W, on sex offenders, for what offences each of the people whose addresses are not known to the police were convicted; whether any of these people have been assessed as a danger to public safety; and whether they were subject to supervision and control orders at the time they moved from their last known residential address.

David Hanson: Sex offender compliance with the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 is high at around 97 per cent. in Northern Ireland. Notifications are recorded by the police on a live database and the number of unregistered offenders in breach of the requirements may therefore fluctuate on a daily basis. A search of the database to provide the information in reply to the hon. Gentleman's question showed that the number of offenders subject to the notification requirements and for whom the police did not have a current residential address has now reduced to 11. The offences for which these offenders had been convicted were as follows: three for rape; one attempted rape; two unlawful carnal knowledge; two indecent assault on a female; two making/possessing indecent images of children; one buggery. One person with a conviction for making/possessing indecent images of children was subject to probation supervision at the time they failed to comply with the notification requirements. Of the 11 offenders, four had been subject to a multi-agency risk assessment with no one being assessed as Category 3 High Risk i.e. someone whose sexual offending has been assessed as currently likely to lead them to seriously harm other people. PSNI pursue a policy of actively seeking to trace offenders who fail to comply with the notification requirements. This includes placing the offender's details on ViSOR and PNC to alert other UK police forces, checking with agencies such as social security to establish if the offender is claiming benefits etc, and providing full details to colleagues in An Garda Siochana who then complete similar checks for the offender in the Republic of Ireland.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether discussions are planned between the Northern Ireland Office and the US consul's office in Belfast in advance of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington DC during July 2007.

Maria Eagle: The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure co-ordinates arrangements on behalf of the Northern Ireland Government in respect of its planning for the 2007 Smithsonian Folklife Festival and consequently has regular contact with staff of the US consulate.

Social Housing

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many social housing units are scheduled to be completed during 2006.

David Hanson: The Department's completion statistics are based on the completion of each contract. Houses are not therefore counted as each one individually completes. In a contract that will not complete until 2006-07, the individual houses completed in 2005-06 have not been scored.
	Some 1,200 new homes are currently programmed for 'contract completion' in 2005-06.

Social Security Agency Office (Bangor)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans  (a) to replace and  (b) to refurbish the Social Security Agency office on Hamilton Road in Bangor; what the timescale for any such rebuilding or refurbishment is; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Bangor Social Security Office is included in the rollout of jobs and benefits offices as part of the welfare reform agenda. The Social Security Agency and Department of Employment and Learning are currently considering a number of proposals for provision of the new office. These include both the refurbishment of the existing office or a number of new build schemes. A decision is unlikely before May 2006.
	A target date for completion will be agreed once contracts have been awarded.

Staff Development

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total cost was of  (a) staff away days and  (b) staff team building exercises in each Department in Northern Ireland, including the Northern Ireland Office, in each of the last three years.

David Hanson: The total cost of  (a) staff away days and  (b) staff team building exercises in each Department in Northern Ireland, in each of the last three financial years are as follows:
	
		
			  Total cost of staff away days 
			  Department  2003-04 (£)  2004-05 (£)  2005-06 (£) 
			 Department of Agriculture and Rural Development 19,475 39,704 18,708 
			 Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure 11,435 7,398 12,109 
			 Department of Education 45,632 17,323 9,631 
			 Department of Employment and Learning(1) — — — 
			 Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment 5,436 10,830 5,546 
			 Department of Finance and Personnel 13,412 26,139 36,170 
			 Department of Health, Social Service and Public Safety 18,065 13,082 26,148 
			 Department of the Environment 2,074 5,242 7,001 
			 Department of Regional Development 2,369 1,735 818 
			 Department of Social Development 13,164 10,029 40,638 
			 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister 6,887 9,078 10,323 
		
	
	
		
			  Total cost of staff team building exercises 
			  Department  2003-04 (£)  2004-05 (£)  2005-06 (£) 
			 Department of Agriculture and Rural Development 589 8,191 400 
			 Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure 0 693 460 
			 Department of Education 5,131 0 0 
			 Department of Employment and Learning(1) — — — 
			 Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment 3,244 3,155 4,401 
			 Department of Finance and Personnel 611 24,255 16,601 
			 Department of Health, Social Service and Public Safety 17,000 4,766 11,037 
			 Department of the Environment 7,342 7,555 16,185 
			 Department of Regional Development 9,265 11,356 4,056 
			 Department of Social Development 12,015 3,371 3,909 
			 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister 6,184 7,257 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Total cost of away days and team building exercises 
			  Department  2003-04 (£)  2004-05 (£)  2005-06 (£) 
			 Department of Agriculture and Rural Development 20,064 47,895 19,108 
			 Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure 11,435 8,092 12,569 
			 Department of Education 50,764 17,323 9,631 
			 Department of Employment and Learning 43,743 44,480 39,443 
			 Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment 8,680 13,985 9,947 
			 Department of Finance and Personnel 14,023 50,394 52,771 
			 Department of Health, Social Service and Public Safety 35,065 17,849 37,186 
			 Department of the Environment 9,416 12,797 23,186 
			 Department of Regional Development 11,634 13,091 4,874 
			 Department of Social Development 25,180 13,401 44,547 
			 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister 13,072 16,335 10,323 
			 Overall totals(2) 243,079 255,644 263,588 
			 (1) The Department of Employment and Learning does not hold the information broken down into separate away day and team building categories. (2 )Due to rounding figures may not add to totals. 
		
	
	Staff away days and team building exercises are key elements of the NICS and departmental business planning and staff development processes, which inter alia enable engagement with staff about strategic departmental priorities and targets, and the cascading of appropriate priorities to staff to help them in turn in developing their business area and personal work plans.
	Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office have been taking steps to ensure that best value for money is obtained in this area. Departments will be making as much use as possible of civil service and wider public sector facilities in preference to private sector venues.
	The Northern Ireland Office did not capture information at this level through financial coding for financial years 2003-04 and 2004-05 so to provide this would incur a disproportionate cost. A total of £57,243.92 was spent on development days in the Northern Ireland Office in financial year 2005-06. This equates to approximately £150 per head for the total number of staff involved. Development days are used for training and team building.

Stormont

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the final total cost for the upgrade of Castle Buildings in the Stormont Estate was, broken down by main budget heading.

David Hanson: Castle Buildings, which is one of the main office accommodation blocks in the Stormont Estate, has been subject to a rolling upgrading programme of work over the past 15 years. Such work included the refurbishment of most of the building in the early nineties leading up to the political talks in Northern Ireland.
	Since 2003, projects undertaken and associated costs have been:
	
		
			Capital (£000)  Revenue (£000) 
			 June 2003 Provision of additional car parking spaces 190,000 — 
			 September 2003 Refurbishment of the link towers and toilet facilities in all blocks and replacement of windows — 600,000 
			 March 2004 Refurbishment of Castle Buildings canteen — 114,000 
			 September 2005 Provision of new reception area at block B 200,000 —

Taxis

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prosecutions against illegal operators have been brought by the Department of the Environment taxi enforcement branch in each of the last five years in each police district command unit area in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: This information is not available prior to April 2003, nor is it possible to identify the number of prosecutions within each police district command unit area.
	Enforcement officers attached to the Department's Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency have detected and reported the following infringements of taxi regulations with a view to prosecution:
	
		
			  Period  PSV licensing offences  PSV driver licensing offences  Insurance offences  Other offences 
			 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 309 210 228 137 
			 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 188 140 177 74 
			 1 April 2005 to 28 February 2006 148 68 99 176

Teenage Births

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many under-16-year-olds gave birth in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: The following table gives the number of number of maternities(1) registered in Northern Ireland in each year between 2000 and 2004 where the mother was a resident of Northern Ireland and under-16-years-old at the time of birth.
	(1 )Maternities are defined to be the number of pregnancies ending in still or live birth. Pregnancies resulting in multiple birth are counted only once.
	
		
			  Registration year  Number of maternities registered  (mother aged under-16 at time of birth) 
			 2000 58 
			 2001 42 
			 2002 37 
			 2003 33 
			 2004 39

Vehicle Certification

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of vehicles on the road in Northern Ireland without a valid test certificate; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: During a survey carried out in June 2005 at 20 locations across Northern Ireland, the proportion of vehicles on the roads without a valid test certificate was 18.98 per cent.

Women Returning to Work

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many women in Northern Ireland have been successful in getting a placement after attending courses to encourage them back into the workforce in each of the last three years; what the most common type of placement was; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Department of Employment and Learning does not hold the information requested but can provide information on the number of females moving into employment from DEL programmes. The number of females moving into employment from training for work, transitional employment programme, worktrack, new deal for 18 to 24 year-olds and new deal 25 plus programmes in the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			   Training for work (Enterprise Ulster)  Transitional employment programme( 1)  Worktrack( 2)  New deal 18-24 and 25 plus( 3)  Total 
			 2003-04 271 10 201 1,003 1,485 
			 2004-05 170 64 396 912 1,542 
			 2005-06(4) 54 2 7 820 883 
			 Total 495 76 604 2,735 3,910 
			 (1) Recruitment ceased 30 September 2005. (2) Programme closed 25 March 2005. (3) New deal participants moving into unsubsidised or subsidised employment. On this basis a participant is only ever counted once as starting employment, i.e. if a participant has a spell of unsubsidised employment after having a spell of subsidised employment, then the unsubsidised employment always takes priority. (4) Figures for 2005-06 are not yet complete and will therefore be subject to revision. 
		
	
	Statistics on the most common type of job placement found by females are only maintained for training for work and are as follows:
	
		
			 2003-04 Childcare 
			 2004-05 Childcare 
			 2005-06 Administration.

Women Returning to Work

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many women have taken up places on back to workplace courses in Northern Ireland over the last three years, broken down by constituency; and which courses have proved most popular.

Maria Eagle: The Department of Employment and Learning does not hold the information in the format requested but can provide the following information for the four programmes aimed at getting individuals back to work:
	 New Deal 18-24 and 25 plus
	The number of females starting new deal 18-24 and new deal 25 plus programmes by parliamentary constituency over the last three years are as follows:
	
		
			  Parliamentary constituency  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  Total 
			 Belfast East 144 100 73 317 
			 Belfast North 199 180 206 585 
			 Belfast South 152 99 117 368 
			 Belfast West 330 297 368 995 
			 East Antrim 112 112 108 332 
			 East Londonderry 253 238 241 732 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 249 212 151 612 
			 Foyle 374 384 398 1156 
			 Lagan Valley 49 43 69 161 
			 Mid Ulster 150 120 136 406 
			 Newry and Armagh 205 183 164 552 
			 North Antrim 178 143 186 507 
			 North Down 81 69 77 227 
			 South Antrim 117 87 87 291 
			 South Down 172 136 144 452 
			 Strangford 104 118 97 319 
			 Upper Bann 155 96 96 347 
			 West Tyrone 294 307 336 937 
			 Incorrect/Incomplete post codes(1) 76 55 50 181 
			 Total 3,394 2,979 3,104 9,477 
			 (1 )Individuals were attributed to parliamentary constituency on the basis of their post code. Not all individuals had a correct or complete post code. 
		
	
	Statistics on new deal courses which have proved the most popular with women are not maintained by the Department.
	 Enterprise Ulster—training for work
	The number of women commencing training with Enterprise Ulster over the last three years, by Enterprise Ulster area office (figures not retained by constituency) were as follows:
	
		
			   Number of starts 
			  Area office  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Ballymena 73 41 43 
			 Coleraine 153 135 80 
			 Londonderry 80 86 69 
			 Omagh 72 84 65 
			 Portadown 97 117 83 
			 Newry 150 206 34 
			 Belfast S/E 118 109 35 
			 Belfast N/W 152 94 69 
			 Total 895 872 478 
		
	
	The most popular courses in 2003-04 and 2004-05 were Early Years Care and Education at NVQ levels 2 and 3 (626 and 378 respectively). In 2005-06 117 women participated in Early Years Care and Education training.
	 Transitional employment programme and worktrack
	The number of women commencing the transitional employment programme (TEP) and worktrack over the last three years, were as follows:
	
		
			   TWP( 1)  Worktrack( 1)  Total 
			 2003-04 19 716 735 
			 2004-05 180 1,460 1,640 
			 2005-06 131 19 150 
			 Total 330 2,195 2,525 
			 (1 )Figures for the transitional employment programme and worktrack are not maintained by the Department on a parliamentary constituency basis. 
		
	
	In relation to the transitional employment programme and worktrack the most popular occupational areas were childcare, retail and business administration.

Women's Refuges

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding is made available to women's refuge centres in each Westminster constituency; where this funding comes from; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The following table shows the funding administered by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in relation to Supporting People and housing benefit paid to women's refuge centres. The funding is broken down by Westminster constituency for the financial year 2005-06.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Constituency  Funding paid through Supporting People  Funding paid through housing benefit 
			 Belfast North 262.262 — 
			 Belfast South 335.327 134.561 
			 Upper Bann 160.876 26.887 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 66.073 5.661 
			 Foyle 354.034 54.858 
			 Newry and Armagh 156.677 34.149 
			 North Down — 37.139 
			 West Tyrone 152.110 9.555 
			 North Antrim 497.255 83.663 
			 Mid Ulster 143.433 27.998 
			 Lagan Valley 257.773 — 
			 Strangford 169.123 — 
			 Total 2,554.943 414.471 
		
	
	In this current financial year 2006-07 women's refuge centres are due to receive £2.6 million from Supporting People funding. Expenditure relating to housing benefit funding for this year will not be available until the end of this financial year.

Royal Irish Regiment

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance will be offered by Invest Northern Ireland to those personnel accepting redundancy terms from the Royal Irish Regiment who wish to consider starting their own business.

David Hanson: The Start A Business Programme is available to entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland considering setting up a new business which will trade mainly within the Northern Ireland market.
	The package of support offered to entrepreneurs encompasses assessment of business idea, training, financial and business planning, access to financial support and a subsidised web package. A small grant is also available of £400 for full-time businesses and £200 for part-time businesses.
	Other programmes delivered by Invest NI are aimed at start-ups which will develop export markets and at companies who will trade globally.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Services

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1548W, on accident and emergency services, if she will list the accident and emergency departments within each type in 2005.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 June 2006
	Data are available at trust level rather than at departmental level. The available data have been placed in the Library.

Accident and Emergency Services

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines her Department provides for health trusts on the resultant costs to ambulance trusts of centralising emergency admissions in reduced numbers of accident and emergency departments.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 June 2006
	The provision and location of accident and emergency services is a matter for local, not central, decision. In planning local provision of A and E services, health communities are expected to observe the general principle that all emergency and urgent care should be delivered as close to home as is compatible with clinical safety.
	However, the Department does set national response time requirements for ambulance trusts. It is for ambulance trusts, together with primary care trusts as commissioners of ambulance services, to ensure that these requirements are met. This includes ensuring that sufficient numbers of vehicles and staff are available to respond to 999 calls within the national response times. Considerations such as journey times should be taken into account when doing so.
	Guidance on commissioning ambulance services, "Driving change: Good practice guidelines for PCTs on commissioning arrangements for emergency ambulance services and non-emergency patient transport services", was issued by the Modernisation Agency in 2004. A copy of this document is available in the Library.

Agenda for Change

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what effect the national level discussions regarding the implementation of agenda for change for ambulance technicians and paramedics will have on services which have already made agenda for change evaluations for these professions locally.

Rosie Winterton: The national discussions are in respect of ambulance services that are experiencing difficulty in concluding the job evaluation of posts. They will not have a bearing on services that have concluded these issues.

Ambulance Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many public responses there were to proposals for ambulance reorganisation in Staffordshire.

Rosie Winterton: The strategic health authorities for the West Midlands region received 586 written responses from members of the public regarding the proposal to establish a single ambulance service for the West Midlands region, and 139 letters of inquiry relating to the consultation. In addition a number of petitions were received.

British Liver Trust

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to give financial support to the British Liver Trust for the three years from 1 April 2006; and what indications she has given to the trust of the funding it is likely to receive through section 64 grants.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has recently notified the British Liver Trust of the award of a grant of £40,000 per annum under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968, to support its central administrative costs from 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2009(1).
	The BLT is already in receipt of a section 64 project grant of £50,000 per annum from 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2008(1) for provision of a hepatitis C and liver disease telephone helpline.
	(1) Awards in subsequent years to 2006-07 are provisional and subject to the availability of funds approved by Parliament.

Childhood Obesity

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of whether there is a correlation between childhood obesity and obesity in later life.

Caroline Flint: Good quality scientific studies from relevant populations in the United States of America and the United Kingdom suggest that childhood obesity does appear to persist into adulthood. It should be noted that the majority of obese adults have gained weight during adulthood. However, a significant proportion of children will remain obese and become obese adults. The risk increases when one or both parents are obese. The likelihood of adult obesity also increases with the age of the child and their degree of obesity.
	Children who are obese at the age of 13 are more likely to be obese as adults than children who are obese at age nine.
	Epidemiological evidence has demonstrated critical times in childhood (perinatal, five to seven years and adolescence) when the development of obesity is more likely to persist into later life. The physiological mechanisms behind this are still being investigated.
	The data underline the importance of a population based obesity prevention strategy for children for both immediate and long-term health benefits. It also demonstrates that the evidence based multi-component treatment of obesity should not be delayed until adulthood.

Children's Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what audits have been carried out on the management of common acute illnesses in children in the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: The Department's Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) series provides a rolling audit of the national health service's management of illnesses requiring hospital treatment, including common acute illnesses in children. The publication tables for 2004-05 are now available on the HES online website at www.hesonline.gov.uk
	Less serious common acute illnesses, accounting for around 80 per cent. of all episodes of illness in childhood, are managed by parents with support as required from the primary care team. This activity is not audited centrally.

Choose and Book

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the choose and book infrastructure.

Ivan Lewis: The cost of the central infrastructure of choose and book to date is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Cost (£ million) 
			 2004-05 12.7 
			 2005-06 6.3 
			 2006-07(1) 2.9 
			 Total spend(1) 21.9 
			 (1 )As at 30 May 2006

Choose and Book

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact on the availability of NHS Stop Smoking Services of the time scale for fully implementing the choose and book programme.

Caroline Flint: The choose and book service is currently being rolled out nationally. It supports general practitioners in offering patient choice and enables patients to book first consultant-led out-patient appointments at times that are convenient to them.
	NHS Stop Smoking Services are not currently bookable through the choose and book service, although the functionality of the service would allow it. A proposal relating to this matter is due to be considered by the national clinical reference panel, which advises the choose and book programme.
	The national health service remains on target to meet its objective of 800,000 quits at four weeks over the three years to the end of March 2006. The latest figures were published in "Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, April 2005 to September 2005", on 13 February 2006. A copy is available in the Library.

Choose and Book

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to collect centrally data on patients' decisions under the choose and book system; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The choose and book service records the list of commissioned options made available to patients and the providers they ultimately book. This information forms part of patients' clinical records and is therefore available only to those with legitimate clinical relationships with particular patients.
	Aggregated booking information may be used centrally to review trends in referrals to different provider organisations, but without breaching confidentiality in relation to individual patients.

Choose and Book

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Milton Keynes (Mr. Lancaster) of 25 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1071W, on choose and book, for what reasons the statistics on the Connecting for Health website of 296,655 choose and book bookings to 25 April 2006 differ from those given in the answer.

Ivan Lewis: The figure of 6,823,970, quoted in the answer of 25 April 2006, is the number of first consultant-led out-patient appointments booked in the period April 2005 to January 2006. The equivalent figure for the period April 2005 to March 2006 is 8,339,293. The majority of these appointments were not booked through the choose and book service.
	The figure of 296,655, quoted on the NHS Connecting for Health website, is the number of appointments booked through the choose and book service as at 23 April 2006. As at 14 May 2006, the figure stands at 369,983.

Choose and Book

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2006,  Official Report, column 935W, on the choose and book system, how her Department will monitor whether an aspiration is being met.

Ivan Lewis: The Department is establishing a data return to support primary care trusts (PCTs) in assessing whether aspiration payment criteria have been met for the choose and book element of the directed enhanced service (DES). The return will include utilisation data from the choose and book service and practice level referral data from PCTs.
	It is for PCTs not the Department to monitor take up of the choice-related aspiration payment available under the DES.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) biomedical scientists and  (b) neurologists have been appointed to the advisory panel on myalgic encephamyelitis.

Ivan Lewis: An independent working group on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) was established in 1998 to review the care and treatment of people with CFS/ME. It included representatives from a number of clinical disciplines, voluntary organisations and patients' groups and was disbanded when it finished its work in 2002.
	A list of members was included in the group's final report, which is available in the Library and on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/05/95/06/04059506.pdf

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support her Department gives to chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers.

Ivan Lewis: People with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis have access to the full range of health and social services support as outlined in the national service framework for long-term conditions. This includes:
	joint health and social care plans that change over time and consider other needs such as housing, transport, benefits, education, careers advice, employment and leisure;
	access to a broad range of services, including rehabilitation, equipment, accommodation and personal care to help people live as independently as possible at home; and
	support to help people to work or take up other vocational opportunities.

Clinicians (Information)

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to provide clinicians in NHS trusts and other facilities with access to objective analysis and advice on new drugs.

Andy Burnham: Doctors and other prescribers have access to a wide variety of information resources to support their prescribing. These include the British National Formularies, National Prescribing Centre advice and training, which includes coverage of new medicines, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidelines, National Electronic Library for Health, the various on-line databases and reference resources, such as Medline, and various academic and professional journals, for example the  British Medical Journal.

Community Hospitals

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations her Department has received from  (a) Yorkshire Wolds and Coast Primary Care Trust,  (b) East Yorkshire Primary Care Trust and  (c) North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority regarding community hospitals in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Yorkshire Wolds and Coast Primary Care Trust (PCT) and East Yorkshire PCT fed public views arising from its review of community hospitals to the Department following the publication of the "Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services" White Paper. There have been no other representations to the Department from either the PCTs or from North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority.

Complementary Medicine

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS funding is available for non-conventional medicine in 2006-07.

Caroline Flint: Decisions on the commissioning of complementary and alternative therapies, and how much funding to allocate to these, are a matter for primary care trusts and local national health service service providers. There are, therefore, no centrally held records on spending on such therapies within the NHS.

Dentistry

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many students graduated in dentistry in each year from 1997 to 2005 in  (a) England and  (b) Cumbria;
	(2)  when she will answer question 64427, on dentistry, tabled by the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale on 12 April.

Rosie Winterton: holding answers 18 April and 5 June 2006
	The number of students graduating from dental courses that lead to registration with the General Dental Council, England from the academic year 2002/03 to 2004/05 is shown in the following table. This information is not available centrally prior to 2002-03. No higher education institutions in Cumbria offer pre-registration dental courses.
	
		
			  Academic year  Headcount 
			 2002/03 553 
			 2003/04 579 
			 2004/05 605 
			  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record 
		
	
	Numbers exclude students at Eastman dental hospital and the Defence Dental Agency Training Establishment as HESA does not collect data for these institutions.
	Figures are from HESA standard registration population which excludes overseas visiting/exchange students, dormant students and those who left within 14 days of starting the course.

Dentistry

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial assistance for travel is available to eligible patients travelling to private orthodontic clinic appointments after referral by an NHS dentist.

Rosie Winterton: The national health service does not provide assistance with travel costs for patients receiving private treatment.

Dentistry

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged  (a) 17 years or under and  (b) 18 years or over were registered with an NHS dentist in (i) England, (ii) each NHS region and (iii) each strategic health authority in each year since 1997; and what proportion each represents of the relevant age group.

Rosie Winterton: Registration numbers for September in each of the years 1997 to 2005 have been placed in the Library for primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities (SHAs) together with England totals. Separate figures are shown for children aged 17 years or under and for adults aged 18 and over.
	The registration figures for 1997 are not comparable with the figures for subsequent years because the 1997 data reflect the previous registration periods (24 months for adults and until the end of the following calendar year for children), while the later data mainly reflect the shorter registration period of 15 months. The introduction of personal dental services pilots in October 1998 and subsequent growth has affected the figures from September 1999 onwards; these changes affect comparisons over time. Registration rates are given for SHAs and for England. However, registration rates for PCTs are not available before 2001 because population estimates are not available.

Drug Treatment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the planned changes are in her Department's funding for  (a) the National Drug Treatment Agency and  (b) other forms of drug rehabilitation in each year from 2005-06 to 2008-09; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Departmental funding for the National Treatment Agency for 2005-06 was £10,560,000. Funding for 2006-07 will be announced shortly. Decisions on funding for subsequent years have yet to be made.
	Departmental funding for other forms of drug rehabilitation for 2005-06 such as the pooled drug treatment budget allocation was £299.4 million, which includes £22 million Home Office funding. This funding is to be used for the funding of treatment within each of the six treatment modalities, which are:
	general practitioner prescribing;
	specialist prescribing;
	residential rehabilitation;
	inpatient detoxification;
	day care; and
	counselling.
	In addition, an estimated £208 million of mainstream expenditure was made available for drug treatment. Funding for 2006-07 will be announced shortly. Decisions on funding for subsequent years have yet to be made.

GP Referrals

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of whether primary care trusts have used referral centres as a means of delaying GP referrals to consultants during the current financial year;
	(2)  what guidance she has given to primary care trusts about the practice of delaying GP referrals to consultants as a means of meeting year-end finance limits;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of how many patients have been affected by the practice of primary care trusts using referral centres as a means of delaying GP referrals to consultants during the 2005-06 financial year;
	(4)  what plans she has to correct any potential error in waiting time statistics as a result of uncounted delays in the time taken for GP referrals to be passed on from referral centres run by some primary care trusts, with particular reference to North Somerset.

Caroline Flint: No such estimate or assessment has been made centrally. The Department is quite clear in that referrals to community-based clinical assessment services, and other such centres, should happen only where it adds genuine clinical value for patients. Where they add clinical benefits and are properly integrated as part of the wider primary care health team, such services have a real potential to benefit patients by ensuring that they see the most appropriate clinician in the most convenient setting.
	The Department is working closely with Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire strategic health authority to ensure that waiting times of patients referred through North Somerset primary care trust's referral management centre are reported appropriately.
	The Department recognises however, that guidance on waiting list reporting is complex, especially in light of changing referral practices, choice, and the 18-week pathway. We therefore intend to work closely with the Royal College of General Practitioners and other professional bodies to develop clear guidance on the role and appropriate use of clinical assessment services and other similar services within the national health service.

Greenbelt Development

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance she has given to  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) general practitioner practices on the provision of funding to patient groups lobbying for development in the greenbelt;
	(2)  what her policy is on the development of health facilities in greenbelt land;
	(3)  what her policy is on  (a) GP practices and  (b) primary care trusts providing funding to patient groups lobbying for development in the green belt.

Rosie Winterton: The guidance on town planning matters for all national health service organisations is provided in the Department of Health publication "Estatecode—essential guidance on estates and facilities management". The NHS estate is subject to all town and country planning legislation and guidance. Under these provisions, a NHS organisation is able to put forward a detailed application to a planning authority for the development of greenbelt land for new healthcare facilities where this is considered the most appropriate site. The planning authority will assess the proposal in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) are required by statute to operate within resource limits (revenue and capital) set by the Department as part of PCTs funding allocations. PCTs may use their revenue resources for any revenue expenditure permitted in law. As regards the provision of funding to patient groups lobbying for development in the green belt, no departmental guidance or policy has been issued in relation to contracts with general practitioners. However, these practitioners are able to spend their own contract income on patient groups, should they consider this beneficial to their practice.

Health Services Take-up

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when and how guidance on improving the take- up of health services amongst excluded older people will be published.

Ivan Lewis: We are at the early stages of considering options to develop guidance on improving the take-up of health and social care services amongst excluded older people. At this developmental stage, we are unable to provide any details regarding timescales and plans.

HIV/AIDS (Blood Transfusions)

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much compensation has been paid by the UK Government to those who contracted HIV through blood transfusions.

Caroline Flint: Up to March 2006, the United Kingdom Government have distributed a total of £39,787,617 via the Macfarlane and Eileen Trusts, to those who contracted HIV infection from blood transfusions or from treatment with blood products.

Home Care Charges

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she proposes to take to reduce home care charges in England.

Ivan Lewis: It is for councils to decide whether and how to set charges for non-residential social services. The legal basis is that charges generally should be 'reasonable' and that no one should be asked to pay more than they reasonably can. This position contrasts with that applying to charges for residential care, where regulations prescribe a national means test, which councils must follow.
	The Department issued statutory guidance, 'Fairer Charging Policies for Home Care and other non-residential Social Services—Guidance for Councils with Social Services Responsibilities', which is available in the Library, to all local councils in November 2001. It was amended in September 2003 to reflect the introduction of pension credits. It does not seek to change councils' power to charge, or not, for these services. It is intended to ensure that charges generally should be reasonable and that no one should be asked to pay more than they reasonably can.
	The guidance aims to ensure in particular that service users on low incomes are protected from charging and that any charges levied on disability benefits are subject to an assessment of disability costs, to ensure their reasonableness. Councils are required to ensure that charges do not put any users' incomes below basic income support levels or the guarantee credit of pension credit, plus a buffer of 25 per cent. This can lead to real improvements in the position of many users, who will cease to pay charges or pay a smaller charge.

Kidney Dialysis

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residents of the London borough of Bexley received kidney dialysis treatment at hospitals outside the borough in the last period for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not collected centrally.

London NHS Better Healthcare Closer to Home Programme

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on  (a) public relations,  (b) health consultancy,  (c) planning consultancy and  (d) hospitality and other areas in connection with the South West London NHS better healthcare closer to home programme.

Ivan Lewis: The Department commissioned the Prince's Foundation to undertake an inquiry by design for the NHS better healthcare closer to home project and contributed funding of £60,000. All other work, as specified, was commissioned by the local national health service. Information on this is not held by the Department; it is a matter for the local NHS.

Long-term Conditions Framework

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department has taken to implement the national service framework for long-term conditions.

Ivan Lewis: Since publication of the national service framework for long-term conditions, the Department has co-ordinated a range of activity to help local health and social care organisations take forward implementation of the NSF. This includes:
	working with key national health service, social care, voluntary and independent sector stakeholders, as well as service users and carers, to identify and address key issues in neurological services and the stakeholders' role in implementation;
	ensuring that other key delivery programmes, most especially the White Paper "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say" and the long-term conditions strategy help deliver key NSF objectives; and
	work with the Care Services Improvement Partnership to promote implementation of the NSF through a co-ordinated work programme, including regional workshops, a web-based getting started pack and self-assessment tool for services.

National Framework for Continuing Care

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which  (a) organisations and  (b) individuals (i) she, (ii) her Ministers and (iii) her officials have met to discuss the national framework for NHS continuing healthcare in the last 12 months; on what date the meetings took place; and what the content of each meeting was.

Ivan Lewis: Work to produce the national framework for continuing care is ongoing, as is stakeholder communication, engagement and involvement.
	The Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health my hon. Friend the Member for South Thanet (Dr. Ladyman) met with the Ombudsman specifically to discuss continuing care, and the subject will have come up in numerous visits and meetings. I have met with local authority representatives and also with the Social Care Institute for Excellence, the General Social Care Council and Turning Point when the subject of continuing care was raised.
	Officials have studied the evidence given to the Health Committee inquiry on continuing care. Regular meetings take place with staff from the Ombudsman's office to ensure their full participation and involvement in the development of the national framework.
	Meetings and/or discussions have also occurred with numerous organisations, members of the public, researchers and academics, including the Royal College of Nursing, Help the Aged, Age Concern, the Alzheimer's Society and the Long Term Medical Conditions Alliance.
	Officials have also had contact with these bodies, and with many other voluntary organisations and professional bodies including the English Community Care Association, Leonard Cheshire, Carers UK, POhWER, the British Medical Association, the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service, the ADSS and the LGA, Radar, Headway, the Neurological Alliance, Scope, the National Care Forum, the National Centre for Independent Living, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, the Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations and the National Care Homes Association. Many of these attended the stakeholder summit that was held on 21 July 2005 to share progress, and to gain contributions in from organisations with patients and service users, carer networks and professional organisations.
	An electronic discussion forum has been established for regular communication and through which staff from across the health and social care community and wider stakeholder groups can contribute to specific parts of the framework.

NHS Direct

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for the future provision of the best treatments website through NHS Direct.

Rosie Winterton: NHS Direct online will continue to signpost to best treatments from the relevant NHS Direct health encyclopaedia topics.

NHS Equipment

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many items of NHS equipment she estimates were not returned to NHS trusts after a patient had used them in aiding their recovery in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what measures she plans to take to make patients responsible for returning NHS equipment after use;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the amount spent by the NHS in replacing equipment that has not been returned by patients in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.
	It is for the national health service to plan and commission appropriate services for their local population including policies on returning NHS equipment.

NHS Pension Scheme

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the liabilities of the NHS pension scheme are.

Rosie Winterton: The Government Actuary's Department has valued the total liabilities of the NHS pension scheme as at 31 March 2005 to be £127.9 billion. They are in the process of preparing a detailed actuarial valuation of the scheme as at 31 March 2004 which will be published later this year and will include analysis of the factors leading to any change in valuation.

NHS Pension Scheme

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are for  (a) negotiations on and  (b) changes to the NHS pension scheme.

Rosie Winterton: Negotiations are continuing between NHS employers, on behalf of the Department, and the NHS staff side on proposals for a new national health service pension scheme. Proposals will be announced for consultation on the completion of these negotiations.

Nurses

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what  (a) support and  (b) employment advice her Department provides for those successfully completing pre-registration nursing courses but who fail to find a nursing position within the NHS; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1585W, on pre-registration nursing courses, what assessment has been made by her Department of the employment prospects of those enrolled on pre-registration nursing courses; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The national health service will continue to need new nurses to replace those that retire or take career breaks. However, there is now a much closer match between the demand and supply of health care workers and there is more competition for posts. It is a joint responsibility between higher education institutions and local NHS organisations to see that nursing and other health care graduates are supported to find employment. Vacancies for graduates continue to be posted on NHS Jobs and the NHS careers information service can direct graduates to appropriate sources of information and advice. Graduates are encouraged to be flexible when applying for posts.

Nurses

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of  (a) NHS nursing vacancies and  (b) expected nursing vacancies over the next 12 months (i) in total and (ii) in each strategic health authority; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 5 June 2006
	In March 2005, 5,801 had not been filled within three months for qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staffing in England. The results of the March 2006 vacancy survey are due to be published in July.
	It is the responsibility of local national health service organisations to estimate the likely vacancies over the next 12 months.

Parapox Virus

David Mundell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has evaluated on the possible risk to human health of the parapox virus carried by grey squirrels.

Caroline Flint: In the absence of reports of human disease due to parapox virus, the Department has not evaluated any research on risk to human health. Both the Department and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) keep a close watch on incidents of parapox infection in squirrels. The human and animal infection risks surveillance group, which includes membership from the Department, DEFRA, the Health Protection Agency and the Food Standards Agency, meets on a regular basis to assess risk to public health and has considered the potential for this infection to spread to people.

Plagiocephaly

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent representations she has received on the treatment of plagiocephaly;
	(2)  how many children have been treated for plagiocephaly on the NHS with the STARband helmet in the last 12 months;
	(3)  what progress has been made in raising awareness of the condition of plagiocephaly among  (a) health practitioners and  (b) parents;
	(4)  what the incidence of plagiocephaly is in England.

Ivan Lewis: Departmental Ministers have received 19 letters from Members of Parliament, nine letters and five emails from members of the public, and a large petition about plagiocephaly in the past 12 months. It is for doctors working in national health service trusts to decide how and whether to treat children with positional plagiocephaly. We do not collect information centrally on how they do so. Health visitors and general practitioners are trained to recognise deformities in babies, including plagiocephaly. We have not tried to raise awareness of parents about plagiocephaly but we give advice in "Birth to Five" which is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAnd GuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4111315&chk=pk7ls0
	This suggests that babies should experience a range of positions. If followed, this advice would not only help prevent plagiocephaly, but also enhance a child's development. We do not collect statistics on the incidence of plagiocephaly centrally.

Primary Care Trusts

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will appoint the chief executives of the new primary care trusts; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The process for appointing primary care trust chief executives is covered by the Commissioning a Patient-Led NHS Human Resources Framework for strategic health authorities and PCTs published in December 2005. It states that the appointment process for PCT chief executives will be managed in regional clusters by the new SHA chief executives. Appointment panels for PCT chief executives will be chaired by the new PCT chair (or interim PCT chair, or SHA chair if the new PCT chair has not been appointed), and will also include the SHA chief executive, the new professional executive committee (PEC) chair (or other senior clinician if the new PEC chair has not been appointed), and an independent assessor.
	The Human Resources Framework and supplementary guidance, "Primary Care Trusts: Chief Executive Posts is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/46/55/04134655.pdf.

Purchase of Publications

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why funding for the purchase copies of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin for NHS clinicians has ceased.

Andy Burnham: This decision was informed by our policy to devolve as much responsibility as possible to the national health service and to look very critically at central spending. It is our policy that central spending should be kept to an absolute minimum in order to maximise the resources available for the NHS to manage at local level. The decision also took account of the availability of other sources of medicines information.

Purchase of Publications

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual cost to the NHS has been of purchasing copies of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: The annual cost of the Department's central contract to purchase copies of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin for each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Cost (£ million) 
			 2001-02 1.350 
			 2002-03 1.419 
			 2003-04 1.435 
			 2004-05 1.435 
			 2005-06 1.435

Redundant NHS Sites

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what regulations cover the selling of redundant NHS sites; whether monies raised in Gloucestershire from such sales will be spent in the county; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Guidance on the disposal of surplus national health service land and buildings is provided in the Department's publication "Estatecode—essential guidance on estates and facilities management".
	NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) have delegated limits for capital investment. Within these limits, they may make capital investment decisions without seeking approval from their strategic health authority (SHA) or from the Department. These limits vary between £1 million and £10 million, depending on the organisation's turnover from provider activities and its most recent performance rating.
	Sales of fixed assets such as land and buildings are dealt with in the same way. Within its delegated limit, an NHS trust or PCT can sell assets and reinvest the proceeds without the approval of its SHA. Above the delegated limit, these trusts must seek their SHA's approval both for the sale and to reinvest the proceeds. In many instances, SHAs will approve the reinvestment of the sale proceeds by the selling trust or PCT but the SHA retains the discretion to specify another use.
	The SHA with responsibility for health services in Gloucestershire is the Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA. Within this wide geographical remit, there are circumstances where the SHA might consider that there is a health-investment need to use capital proceeds from one county in the other counties that it covers.
	When the selling organisation is an NHS foundation trust, the ability to dispose of assets is covered by the "Protection of Assets—Guidance for NHSFTs" published by Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts. Income from the sale of its assets accrues to the NHS foundation trust.

Residential Homes

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines her Department issues to  (a) local authorities and  (b) primary care trusts on assessments to establish whether patients require nursing care in residential homes.

Ivan Lewis: "Continuing care: NHS and local councils' responsibilities" makes it clear that the national health service is responsible for arranging and funding community health service in care homes. In order for people in residential homes to access these services, they must be registered with a general practitioner.
	When assessing the nursing care needs of older people in all settings local authorities and the NHS are required to implement the single assessment process, as set out in "Guidance on the Single Assessment Process for Older People". This ensures a person centred approach to assessment and care planning for older people regardless of both organisational boundaries and the health conditions and circumstances of older people.

Seasonal Influenza

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 1 March 2006,  Official Report, column 763W, on influenza, if she will make a statement on the progress of the review on the seasonal influenza vaccination programme; and whether she expects to publish the review findings before general practitioners order their stocks of influenza vaccine for the winter of 2006-07.

Caroline Flint: Independent assessors have been appointed and are carrying out the review.
	Once complete, the reviewers will submit their findings to the Secretary of State for Health. The recommendations will be given careful consideration and the reviewers report will be made available.
	General practitioners are already ordering their stocks, and any recommendations from the review will be considered for the 2007 seasonal influenza immunisation programme.

Sexual Health

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of each main category of sexually transmitted disease there were in each primary care trust area in the North East in each year since 2001; and what the rate was of each disease in each area in each year.

Caroline Flint: Data are not available in the format requested. Statistics of sexually transmitted infections are collected by the Health Protection Agency and are available at national, regional and strategic health authority (SHA) level which is shown in the tables relating to County Durham and Tees Valley SHA and Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA.
	
		
			  County Durham and Tees Valley SHA ,number of new episodes of selected diagnoses 2001-04 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Chlamydia 795 1,007 1247 1,225 
			 Gonorrhoea 275 375 309 265 
			 Syphilis 2 1 11 18 
			 Herpes 99 104 128 134 
			 Warts 1,118 1,235 1,286 1,433 
			 Total diagnoses 6,420 6,736 7,603 8,085 
			 Total workload 4,552 7,374 14,567 16,253 
		
	
	
		
			  Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA, number of new episodes of selected diagnoses 2001-04 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Chlamydia 1,559 1,756 2,168 3,199 
			 Gonorrhoea 270 369 357 332 
			 Syphilis 2 16 56 74 
			 Herpes 365 376 339 339 
			 Warts 2,050 2,115 2,115 2,405 
			 Total diagnoses 12,527 12,829 13,599 15,166 
			 Total workload 11,955 20,528 33,396 38,320 
			  Notes: Numbers of diagnoses were not adjusted for missing clinic data. The increased workload in 2003 could be partly due to changes in the reporting system (the addition of S codes)  Definitions of selected conditions: Chlamydia—Uncomplicated genital chlamydial infection, KC60 code C4a,C4c Gonorrhoea—Uncomplicated gonorrhoea, KC60 code, B1,B2 Syphilis— Primary and secondary infectious syphilis, KC60 code A1,A2 Herpes—Anogenital herpes (first attack), KC60 code Cl0a Warts—Anogenital warts (first attack), KC60 code Clla Total diagnoses—All diagnoses made, includes all A, B, C and E KC60 codes Total workload—All workload not requiring a diagnosis, includes all D, P and S KC60 codes 
		
	
	
		
			  County Durham and Tees Valley SHA, rates of new episodes of selected diagnoses 2001-04, per 100,000 population 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Chlamydia 69.4 87.9 108.7 106.8 
			 Gonorrhoea 24.0 32.7 26.9 23.1 
			 Syphilis 0.2 0.1 1.0 1.6 
			 Herpes 8.6 9.1 11.2 11.7 
			 Warts 97.6 107.8 112.1 124.9 
		
	
	
		
			  Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA, rates of new episodes of selected diagnoses 2001-04, per 100,000 population 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Chlamydia 111.8 126.1 155.7 229.7 
			 Gonorrhoea 19.4 26.5 25.6 23.8 
			 Syphilis 0.1 1.1 4.0 5.3 
			 Herpes 26.2 27.0 24.3 24.3 
			 Warts 147.0 151.9 151.9 172.7 
			  Notes: Diagnoses are calculated based on genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics in the SHA, rates are calculated for the SHA's resident population. 2003 mid-year population estimates were used for 2004.  Source:  Diagnoses and rates of selected sexually transmitted infections seen at GUM clinics, United Kingdom: 2000-2004, Health Protection Agency

Spinal Cord Injuries

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with spinal cord injuries live in  (a) England,  (b) Essex and  (c) Southend on Sea.

Ivan Lewis: Data on the number of people living with spinal cord injuries are not collected centrally. However, the Spinal Injuries Association has estimated that there are around 40,000 people with spinal cord injuries in the United Kingdom.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2006,  Official Report, column 829W, on spinal cord injuries, 
	(1)  what patient activity data of spinal cord injured patients is collected at  (a) NHS spinal cord injury centres and  (b) general and district facilities; and how such information is shared between these facilities;
	(2)  what plans she has to commission research into the long-term treatment and care of spinal cord injured people;
	(3)  if she will request the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to assess the requirement for guidance on the treatment and care of spinal cord injured people.

Ivan Lewis: Hospital episode statistics (HES) patient activity data is collected at specialised spinal cord injury centres, and general national health service facilities. This data is available via HES online at www.hesonline.org.uk
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) has responsibility for allocating research funding on health. The MRC is independent, and funding allocations are based on the merit of submitted research proposals rather than being ring-fenced for specific conditions.
	We have no plans to ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to assess the need for guidance on the treatment and care of spinal cord injured people.

Student Grants Unit

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many students applied for a bursary from the NHS Student Grants Unit for the academic year beginning in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005, broken down by type of course;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of students had received their bursary from the NHS Student Grants Unit for  (a) the academic year 2005-06 by (i) September 2005, (ii) October 2005, (iii) November 2005 and (iv) December 2005 and (b) the academic year 2004-05 by (A) September 2004, (B) October 2004, (C) November 2004 and (D) December 2004, broken down by (1) type of course and (2) type of bursary;
	(3)  how many complaints the NHS Student Grants Unit received in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005;
	(4)  how many applications for dependants' allowance the NHS Student Grants Unit received in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005; and how many were approved in each year.

Rosie Winterton: Table one shows the number of national health service bursary awards assessed in academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06 by type of course.
	
		
			  Table 1: NHS bursaries: awards assessed—academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06( 1) 
			  Course name  2004-05  2005-06( 1) 
			 Allied health profession foundation 55 71 
			 Audiology 260 343 
			 Chiropody 1,024 1,023 
			 Dental hygiene 290 231 
			 Dental hygiene and dental therapy 36 139 
			 Dental surgery 569 494 
			 Dental therapy 42 43 
			 Dietetics 882 946 
			 Health professional—unclassified 1,425 1,570 
			 Medicine 7,066 6,651 
			 Midwifery 3,739 3,879 
			 Nursing degree 6,766 7,325 
			 Nursing—diploma higher education 52,587 51,888 
			 Occupational therapy 3,815 3,960 
			 Operating department practitioner 877 1,113 
			 Orthoptics 136 140 
			 Physiotherapy 5,321 5,414 
			 Prosthetics and orthotics 94 88 
			 Radiography 2,733 2,919 
			 Radiotherapy 216 195 
			 Radiotherapy—radiation oncology 30 33 
			 Speech and language therapy 1,638 1,714 
			 Total 89,601 90,179 
			 (1 )Academic year to date (academic year 1 September—31 August). 
		
	
	The information is not available in the format requested. Table two shows the applications processed for new and continuing students undertaking degree and diploma courses, month by month for the academic year 2004-05 and 2005-06 with the exception of medical and dental courses where the information is only available for 2005-06.
	
		
			  Table 2 
			   Academic year 2004-05  Academic year 2005-06 
			   September  October  November  December  September  October  November  December 
			 New diploma 7,088 9,437 10,475 10,475 2,729 6,429 9,799 10,941 
			 Continuing diploma 33,937 35,795 36,120 36,120 35,525 35,642 35,950 36,367 
			 New degree 8,561 11,834 13,495 13,495 1,035 4,251 6,684 10,580 
			 Continuing degree 15,360 15,884 16,055 16,055 12,950 13,837 14,875 15,453 
			  
			 New medical (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 4529 — — — 
			 Continuing medical (1)— (1)— (1)— (1)— 2569 — — — 
			 (1) Not available 
		
	
	125 written complaints were received from 1 February 2005 to 31 December 2005 and nine in 2004.
	Table three shows how many applications were made to the NHS Student Grants Unit for dependants' allowances and how many applications were approved in the academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06.
	
		
			  Table 3: NHS Bursaries: applications for dependants' allowances—academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06( 1) 
			   2004-05  2005-06( 1) 
			 Applications made 14,601 16,028 
			 Applications approved 12,898 12,950 
			 (1) Academic year to date (academic year 1 September—31 August).  Source:  NHS Business Services Authority

Tuberculosis

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what inoculations are given to children to protect against tuberculosis.

Caroline Flint: The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination is the only inoculation recommended to protect at risk children against tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the basis was for the decision to withdraw tuberculosis inoculation for schoolchildren; and what guidance is available for parents who wish their child to be inoculated.

Caroline Flint: Since the introduction of the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) schools programme in 1953 the epidemiology of tuberculosis has changed from a disease of the general population to one predominantly affecting high-risk groups. The new recommendations are based on the advice of the joint committee on vaccination and immunisation and are aimed at delivering an improved targeted risk based programme. The widespread introduction of targeted BCG vaccination means that the majority of children at high risk of tuberculosis will now be vaccinated in early life.
	The Chief Medical Officer announced changes to the BCG programme via a letter to the medical profession and primary care trusts on 6 July 2005. In support of these changes an updated leaflet, factsheet, and poster were produced and sent directly to the professionals and primary care trusts. All of these resources were aimed at raising awareness of tuberculosis, and also informing health professionals and the general public alike, of the changes to BCG policy. All these resources were also made available to order free of charge via the Department's publications line.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Abu Qatada

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in deporting Abu Qatada to Jordan.

Liam Byrne: Abu Qatada has appealed against the decision to deport him. The appeal hearing started on 9 May, and closing submissions have still to be made. Subsequent action will depend on the outcome of that appeal.

Alcohol Sales

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to prevent the sale of alcohol to people who are already drunk.

Tony McNulty: The Government's strategy for tackling this issue is based on working in partnership with the licensed trade, who have themselves recognised the need to redouble their efforts to prevent their staff selling to those already drunk. We are working closely with the industry on the details of how they will do this.
	In addition, through the Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaigns (AMECs), we have been encouraging the police to develop and use innovative tactics to deal with alcohol-related crime and disorder, which include measures to prevent sales to drunks such as visits to licensed premises and to detect sales, through, for example, the use of undercover officers.

Anti-Semitic Incidents

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 3 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1613W, on anti-Semitic incidents, how many of the 132 reported incidents in Greater Manchester in 2005 occurred in each of the 10 Greater Manchester authorities.

Tony McNulty: The information given in the answer of 3 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1613W, was taken from research conducted by the Community Security Trust and reported in 2005. That report is available at http://www.thecst.org.uk but does not give a further breakdown as to where these incidents took place.

Assisted Volunteers Return of Irregular Migrants Programme

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of the assisted volunteers return of irregular migrants programme was in each year since its introduction; how many people have been helped under the programme; and how many of these subsequently returned to the UK without authorisation.

Liam Byrne: The costs tabled in the attachment include all of those relating to the programme including staffing costs.
	Of the 577 people who have returned to their country of origin under the assisted volunteers return of irregular migrants (AVRIM) programme since the introduction of the programme in November 2004, four were refused leave to enter the UK as visitors, two were granted leave to enter as visitors, one had entry clearance and was granted leave to enter as a spouse, one was granted leave to enter as they were applying under an EEA family permit and one held an EEA residence permit.
	
		
			  Programme year  Number of those returning to their country of origin under Avrim  Cost of programme (£) 
			 2004 82 98,572 
			 2005 419 630,764 
			 2006 (1)76 — 
			 (1 )up to 30 April 2006

Asylum/Immigration

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers there are in  (a) Coventry, South and  (b) the west midlands region.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 22 May 2006
	The number of asylum seekers supported by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) is published on a quarterly and annual basis, broken down by Government office region and local authority. The next publication covering the first quarter of 2006 will be published on 23 May 2006, and will be available on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html. Data on asylum seekers supported by NASS broken down by parliamentary constituency are also available from the Library.
	The location of asylum seekers not supported by NASS could be provided only by looking at individual case records.
	While a supported application is being processed and dispersed accommodation arranged, asylum seekers are housed in Initial Accommodation. As at the end of April 2006 there were 160 asylum seekers in Initial accommodation in the west midlands region.
	Some longer standing asylum seekers remain supported by local authorities. Latest available management information suggests that there are 17 cases still supported by authorities in the west midlands.

Asylum/Immigration

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers that have yet to be deported reside in  (a) Bexley and  (b) Greater London.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum/Immigration

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of asylum seekers who were not removed when all their appeal processes had been exhausted in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The recent National Audit Office report "Returning failed asylum applicants" acknowledges that the number of failed asylum seekers in the UK is impossible to determine as some will have left the country of their own accord.
	No Government have ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of failed asylum seekers who are in the country illegally. By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately, and that remains the case.
	Information on the number of removals of failed asylum seekers is published quarterly and annually, on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum/Immigration

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 71W, on asylum/ immigration, what criteria are used when considering a fresh application from a foreign national whose previous appeal rights have been exhausted; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: The criteria for deciding whether a fresh asylum claim has been made are set out in the immigration rules, particularly rule 353. A copy of the rules is available in the Library.

Asylum/Immigration

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 71W, on asylum/immigration, what the cost to public funds was of consideration of fresh applications for asylum from those who had exhausted their appeal rights in the latest period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: This information was not recorded before June 2005. There were 279 fresh applications recorded in the period June 2005 to March 2006 from those who had exhausted their appeal rights. In its 2004 report "Improving the speed and quality of asylum decisions", the National Audit Office accepted a figure of approximately £3,000 as the average cost of reaching an initial decision on an asylum application. Updating to 2006 prices suggests a current average cost of £3,400.

Asylum/Immigration

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 71W, on asylum and immigration, what percentage of the applicants who submitted a fresh asylum application came from each country.

Liam Byrne: I am advised that of the approximately 6,000 failed asylum seekers whose appeal rights have been exhausted and who have submitted further representations which they claim amount to a fresh asylum claim, approximately 17 per cent. were from Zimbabwe, 13 per cent. from Iraq, 7 per cent. from Iran, 7 per cent. from Somalia, 7 per cent. from Eritrea, 6 per cent. from Sri Lanka, 6 per cent. from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6 per cent. from Afghanistan, 3 per cent. from Pakistan, 3 per cent. from Turkey, 3 per cent. From Ethiopia, 3 per cent. from Sudan and 1 per cent. from Kosovo. The remaining numbers form percentages of less than one per cent. from each of a substantial number of countries. This information is based on internal management information and as such is not published within official statistics.

Asylum/Immigration

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer of 8 May 2006,  Official Report, column 71W, on asylum and immigration, how many foreign nationals whose appeal rights have been exhausted have taken up the suggestion of returning home to their country voluntarily.

Liam Byrne: I am advised that the numbers are as follows:
	
		
			 2006(1)  Number 
			 January 244 
			 February 339 
			 March 443 
			 April 431 
			 Total 1,457 
			 (1) Of foreign nationals who have returned to their country of origin under the Voluntary Assisted Return Reintegration Programme (VARRP) programme and whose appeal rights exhausted.

Asylum/Immigration

Brian Binley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the average cost to public funds of supporting a failed asylum seeker in the last period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) provides support to eligible asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. Generally, this support ends when the asylum seeker's claim for asylum has been finally determined.
	However, where the applicant's claim has been finally determined as refused, support may continue under section 95 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1999 provided the applicant has minor dependants under the age of 18. The average cost of section 95 support, including accommodation and subsistence from un-audited April to November 2005 financial information is estimated at £141 per person per week.
	Support may also be provided under section four of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1999 if the applicant is destitute and unable to leave the UK immediately due to circumstances beyond their control. The average cost of section four support for the same period is estimated at £129 per week.

Brian Haw

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding the  (a) removal and  (b) right to remain and protest of Mr. Brian Haw from Parliament Square.

Tony McNulty: I cannot comment on this case as it is currently sub judice.

Careless Driving

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers received a custodial sentence in 2005 after being convicted of careless driving following an incident in which a person died.

Vernon Coaker: Available data for the specific offence of careless driving, contrary to s.3, Road Traffic Act 1988 in England and Wales, do not indicate whether the incidents to which they relate involved injury or death.

Control Communications Commands

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason  (a) Waltham forest and  (b) Redbridge are in the second half of the last wave of the process for the integration of control room functions to Control Communications Commands in the Metropolitan Police; what steps he has taken to ensure that the integration process has identified and tackled problems arising in the earlier stages; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: This is an operational matter for the Commissioner of the Police of the Metropolis who will write to my hon. Friend separately. I will arrange for a copy of his letter to be placed in the Library.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will answer the letter to his predecessor dated 21 March from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mrs. Asma Asad.

Liam Byrne: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given on 16 May 2006,  Official Report, column 902W.

Departmental Costs

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in the top three grades are paid from his Department's budget.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office ministerial team consists of seven Ministers and I am advised that there are in total 260 substantive members of the senior civil service currently working in the Department.

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in his Department have been  (a) disciplined and  (b) dismissed for (i) inappropriate use of the internet while at work and (ii) using work telephones to access premium rate telephone numbers in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: The figures available for the Home Office are set out in the table in annex A. The data for staff disciplined for misuse of the internet includes any misuse of IT including misuse of the internal email system. Similarly, the data for staff disciplined for misuse of the telephone at work include any misuse of the telephone including excessive use or unauthorised telephone calls.
	
		
			  Question: Figures of how many people in the Home Office (including its Agencies) have been (a) disciplined and (b) dismissed for (i) inappropriate use of the internet while at work and (ii) using work telephones to access premium rate telephone numbers in each of the last five years. Annex A 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006( 1) 
			 Internet disciplinary action 7 61 11 19 26 5 
			 Dismissals 3 4 5 2 5 0 
			 Telephone calls disciplinary action 2 2 0 2 2 5 
			 Dismissals 2 0 0 0 2 2 
			 (1) To present

Departmental Staff

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in his Department have had  (a) five or more,  (b) four,  (c) three and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in each of the last three years.

Liam Byrne: I am advised that the number of staff in the Home Office that have had  (a) five or more  (b) four  (c) three, and  (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in each of the last three years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Staff having the shown number of periods of sick leave of less than five days in period 
			  Period  (a) Five or more  (b) Four  (c) Three  (d) Four 
			  Home Office Main (including Immigration and Nationality Directorate)( 1) 
			 2002-03 1,333 841 1,350 1,991 
			 2003-04 1,876 1,123 1,675 2,506 
			 2005 1,156 949 1,523 2,485 
			  Identity and Passport Service( 2) 
			 2003-04 348 200 390 500 
			 2004-05 271 199 375 544 
			 2005-06 268 214 371 610 
			  HM Prison Service( 3) 
			 2003-04 726 1,061 2,664 6,305 
			 2004-05 586 919 2,393 6,052 
			 2005-06 545 880 2,324 5,689 
			 (1 )Data are provided on the basis of staff having and average less than five days per spell of sickness—The figures for 2002-03 and 2003-04 are based on calendar days, those for 2005 on working days. (2 )IDPS figures show periods of less than five working days. (3) HMPS figures show periods of less than five calendar days

Drug-related Crime

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to prevent shoplifting by drug misusers to fund the purchase of drugs.

Vernon Coaker: The Government's drug interventions programme (DIP) which began in 2003 is providing a route out of crime and into treatment for drug misusing offenders who commit crime to feed their habit. DIP uses contact with the criminal justice system as an opportunity to engage drug misusing offenders in treatment and support.
	Individuals who are arrested for certain offences including theft—which includes shoplifting—in the 98 areas with the highest levels of acquisitive crime are tested for class A drugs as a part of DIP. Those testing positive are required to attend an assessment with a drugs worker. Testing on arrest is a way of identifying drug misusers at an early stage in the criminal justice process. Other key elements of the programme are operating across England and in Wales.
	The drug interventions programme continues to have a positive impact in communities not only by the interventions that it offers but also by delivering a more integrated approach by local agencies to the problems of offenders. Since the programme began over 43,000 drug misusing offenders have entered treatment through DIP.
	Acquisitive recorded crime—to which drug related crime (including theft) makes a substantial contribution fell by 12 per cent. in the year to April 2005 compared with the previous 12 months.

Drugs Offences (Mansfield)

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions there have been for drug offences in  (a) Meden and  (b) Birklands ward of Mansfield in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: Data for Meden and Birklands ward are not collected centrally.
	Convictions relating to Mansfield criminal justice court from 2000 to 2004 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of convictions for drug offences in Mansfield by sentence or order given( 1) , 2000 to 2004 
			  Sentenced 
			Imprisonment  
			   Absolute or conditional discharge  Community Rehabilitation Order  Community Punishment Order  Combination orders  Fine  Immediate custody( 2)  Fully suspended  Otherwise dealt with 
			 2000 3 42 7 4 51 11 0 13 
			 2001 14 23 5 1 52 16 0 24 
			 2002 23 48 8 4 59 15 1 31 
			 2003 52 41 22 2 91 16 0 53 
			 2004 43 46 16 3 86 19 1 43 
			 (1) Where a person is found guilty of two or more drugs offences at the same court appearance the sentence or order shown in this table is the most severe penalty . (2) Includes unsuspended imprisonment and youth sentences.

Embarkation System

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of dismantling the embarkation system was.

Liam Byrne: The provision of any embarkation control falls to the individual port operator, including the immigration desks themselves and any associated construction and power supply requirements. The accommodation and equipment for the control is provided free of charge to the Department in accordance with statutory legislation. As such the cost of dismantling such facilities also falls to the individual port operator and not the Home Office.

Foreign Criminals

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of his Ministers have duties related to the release of foreign offenders in England and Wales.

Liam Byrne: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has overall responsibility for the Home Office. I am the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality and am supported in this by the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, North (Joan Ryan). The Minister for Policing, Security and Community Safety, my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, East (Mr. McNulty) and is supported by the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker).
	Baroness Scotland of Asthal QC is Minister of State for Criminal Justice and Offender Management and she is supported by the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Sutcliffe) .

Foreign Criminals

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether any of the foreign prisoners released without being considered for deportation are currently thought to be in Scotland;
	(2)  whether he has identified any failures by the immigration and nationality directorate or immigration service in relation to foreign prisoners released by the Scottish Prison Service;
	(3)  when he alerted the Scottish Executive or the Scottish Prison Service to concerns over the operation of the system for deporting foreign prisoners.

Liam Byrne: holding answers 2 May 2006
	I refer to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, on 23 May 2006,  Official Report, column 77WS.

Foreign Criminals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals are held in UK Jails, broken down by country of origin.

Liam Byrne: I am advised that as of 8 May 2006 the prison IT system contained the records of foreign nationals held in prison as set out in the following table. Details of prison populations held in Scotland and Northern Ireland can be obtained from the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Office respectively.
	
		
			  Foreign nationals held in prison establishments( 1)  in England and Wales, at 31 March 2006 
			  Country of origin  Total held( 2) 
			 Afghanistan 82 
			 Albania 117 
			 Algeria 178 
			 Angola 73 
			 Austria 10 
			 Bangladesh 169 
			 Belgium 39 
			 China 249 
			 Columbia 124 
			 Congo, Republic of 81 
			 Cyprus 58 
			 Czech Republic 24 
			 Democratic Republic of Congo 29 
			 Denmark 10 
			 Estonia 13 
			 Finland 2 
			 France 159 
			 Germany 112 
			 Ghana 186 
			 Greece 19 
			 Hungary 19 
			 India 259 
			 Iran 161 
			 Iraq 252 
			 Irish Republic 719 
			 Italy 118 
			 Jamaica 1,550 
			 Kenya 61 
			 Latvia 49 
			 Lithuania 175 
			 Malta 8 
			 Netherlands 139 
			 Nigeria 878 
			 Pakistan 443 
			 Poland 191 
			 Portugal 170 
			 Romania 150 
			 Russia 115 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 91 
			 Sierra Leone 68 
			 Slovakia 12 
			 Slovenia 2 
			 Somalia 298 
			 South Africa 158 
			 Spain 86 
			 Sri Lanka 157 
			 Sweden 12 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 101 
			 Turkey 283 
			 Uganda 73 
			 United States of America 94 
			 Venezuela 53 
			 Vietnam 169 
			 Zimbabwe 160 
			 Other Foreign Nationals 1,221 
			 Grand Total 10,231 
			 (1) Including the Immigration Removal Centres at Dover, Haslar and Lindholme managed by the Prison Service on behalf of IND (2) All custody types

Foreign Criminals

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the  (a) regulations,  (b) conventions and  (c) laws that he has identified as affecting the deportation of foreign criminals.

Liam Byrne: The following have been identified as affecting the deportation of foreign criminals:
	 (a) Regulations
	(i) Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 which transpose ED Directive on the Free Movement of Persons (2004/38/EC);
	(ii) Immigration (Notices) Regulations 2003;
	(iii) Immigration Rules (HC395 with amendments);
	(iv) The Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Procedure) Rules 2003v) The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (Specification of Particularly Serious Crimes) Order 2004;
	(vi) The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (Procedure) Rules 2005;
	 (b) Conventions
	(i) The 1951 Refugee Convention;
	(ii) The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms;
	 (c) Laws
	(i) The Immigration Act 1971;
	(ii) Special Immigration Appeals Commission Act 1997;
	(iii) Human Rights Act 1998 iv) Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;
	(iv) Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000;
	(v) Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002;
	(vi)Criminal Justice Act 2003;
	(vii) Immigration Asylum and Nationality Act 2006;
	(viii) Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Illegal Immigration

George Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many carriers have been fined for transporting illegal immigrants in each year since the passage of the relevant legislation.

Liam Byrne: In 2005, charges were imposed on 157 different air and sea carriers under section 40 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 as amended in respect of passengers arriving in the United Kingdom without the required documents.
	For earlier years records are not accessible centrally and the information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Illegal Immigration

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants were found at each main port of entry in 2005.

Liam Byrne: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Illicit Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account the Government take in formulating their policy on illicit drugs of the effects of supply-side prohibition; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Government's strategy in tackling drugs is founded on the fact that all drugs subject to it are harmful and no one should take them. We take full account of the importance of the role of legislative controls on the unauthorised production, supply and possession of these drugs in reducing the harms that such drugs cause by helping to limit their use and deter experimentation. These necessary controls are an integral, but not exhaustive, part of the Government's drugs strategy.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the rate of absenteeism due to illness was in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in the last period for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: I am advised that the annualised rate for the number of working days lost per employee per year based on sickness absence reported on our computerised resource data system, Adelphi, from 1 March 2005 to 31 March 2006 is 10.32 days.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters of complaint have been received by his office relating to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in each year since 2001.

Liam Byrne: The total number of complaints received from members of the public through the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's central complaints unit, broken down by category and year are presented in the table. These figures do not include complaints received elsewhere across IND that are dealt with under separate processes i.e. MPs correspondence. Central data specifying the nature of that correspondence is not maintained electronically.
	
		
			   Formal complaints (relating to staff behaviour)  Operational complaints (relating to level of service) 
			 1 April 2000-31 March 2001 — 2,747 
			 1 January 2001-31 March 2002 530 — 
			 1 April 2001-31 March 2002 — 3,943 
			 1 April 2002-31 March 2003 436 3,402 
			 1 April 2003-31 March 2004 546 11,788 
			 1 April 2004-31 March 2005 422 13,008 
			 1 April 2005-31 March 2006 433 13,618 
			 Total 2,411 50,142 
		
	
	These figures do not include complaints received elsewhere across IND that are dealt with under separate processes i.e. MPs correspondence. Central data specifying the nature of that correspondence is not maintained electronically.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to commission a report into the most recent allegations of corruption by staff at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Liam Byrne: Following the publication of allegations in  The Observer on 21 May 2006, an internal disciplinary investigation has taken place, as a result of which a member of IND staff has been dismissed. A criminal investigation continues.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has considered commissioning an externally-based investigation into allegations of corruption at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Liam Byrne: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given earlier.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures his Department follows for checking that applicants for employment in  (a) his Department and  (b) the immigration and nationality directorate are entitled to reside and work in the United Kingdom.

Liam Byrne: I am advised that our current policy is to ask all new staff to produce a passport. If they are not a British or EEA national, an original Home Office document confirming immigration status must be produced. If a UK citizen does not have a passport, and is not being employed in an IND operational grade, they may provide two pieces of alternative identification which can include an original birth certificate, P45. In addition all new entrants will have their immigration status checked against IND records.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will order a review of immigration casework in which Mr. James Dawute was responsible for  (a) decisions and  (b) recommendations for decisions.

Liam Byrne: Immigration Service managers are carrying out a risk assessed review of selected casework dealt with by Mr. Dawute. The outcome of this review will determine if a more detailed and far reaching review of all of Mr. Dawute's cases is required. In addition, the Immigration and Nationality Department's Security and Anti Corruption Unit are conducting a criminal investigation into Mr. Dawute and this will include reviewing some of the cases handled by him.

Leave to Remain (Overruled Decisions)

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions a Minister has overruled a decision by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to reject an application for leave to remain since 1999.

Liam Byrne: Statistics on the number of occasions Ministers have asked for cases to be reviewed or have overruled decisions made by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate since 1999 are not available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Licensing

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been brought for  (a) sales of alcohol to under age children under the Licensing Act 2003 and  (b) crime and disorder associated with pubs and clubs in Kingston upon Hull, North since November 2005.

Vernon Coaker: It is not possible to identify prosecutions in Kingston upon Hull, North as the centrally held data are not broken down to that level of detail. Additionally, since the Licensing act 2003 came into force in 2005 there are no data currently available for prosecutions under the act.
	Data for 2005 will be available in the autumn.

Lilian Woodcock

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Lilian Woodcock (née Nyakundi), date of birth 24 September 1977, registration number LR1728016673/01, will receive the outcome of her application for leave to remain in the UK as a spouse.

Liam Byrne: I am advised that officials at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate wrote to Mrs. Woodcock's legal representatives on 26 May 2006 informing them of the outcome of her application.

Mini-motorcycles

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) mini-motorcycles have been confiscated by the police and  (b) fines have been issued to drivers of mini-motorcycles in (i) Dudley, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England in the last two years.

Vernon Coaker: This information is not collected centrally.

Ministerial Cars

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the fuel costs were for ministerial cars used by his Department in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Transport (Dr. Ladyman) on 27 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1226W.

Ministerial Visits

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality has visited  (a) the Immigration and Nationality Department,  (b) the Channel ports and  (c) an immigration detention centre since 2001.

Liam Byrne: In addition to everyday contact with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality regularly visits IND and related facilities.

People Trafficking

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to link the Coordinated Strategy for Prostitution with the response to the Tackling Trafficking Consultation.

Vernon Coaker: We are currently in the process of assessing the responses to the consultation paper on proposals for tackling human trafficking.
	It is our intention to publish the UK strategy later this year. This will link in with the wider coordinated strategy for prostitution, particularly in relation to tackling demand for prostitution and raising awareness of the trafficking of women and children for the purposes of prostitution.

People Trafficking

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in the prevention of human trafficking into the United Kingdom.

Vernon Coaker: The Government are committed to tackling human trafficking and on the 5 January 2006 launched a national consultation exercise on proposals for a UK action plan on human trafficking. The question of how to prevent human trafficking features prominently in the consultation and a summary of the consultation responses is due to be published on the 21 June 2006 with a final UK action plan to follow later in the year.
	The Government have introduced comprehensive legislation to criminalise trafficking and in 2000 established Reflex, a multi-agency taskforce on organised immigration crime which has worked closely with international law enforcement partners in taking forward trafficking investigations and in strengthening the capacity of other countries to deal effectively with trafficking at source. In addition, on 3 April 2006 the Serious Organised Crime Agency was launched with organised immigration crime as one of its key priorities, bringing a renewed focus on improving intelligence on organised criminals engaged in this type of crime. During the course of our presidency of the Council of the European Union the Home Office developed an EU action plan on human trafficking which was adopted at the JHA Ministerial Council on 1-2 December 2005. This plan takes an end-to-end approach to the issue and includes specific measures to prevent trafficking into and within the EU.

Police

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress with proposals to merge West Mercia police force with other forces.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 11 May 2006
	Following the announcement by the previous Home Secretary (Mr. Clarke) on 3 March of his intention to merge the four existing forces in the West Midlands region into one strategic force, we are now in the four- month period for objections to be formulated by the police forces, police authorities and local authorities involved and submitted to the Home Secretary by 2 July.

Police

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to continue with his predecessor's plans to abolish the West Mercia police force.

Tony McNulty: The strategic objectives set by the previous Home Secretary (Mr. Clarke) were based on the considered evaluation of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. It is clear that the present strategic structure of our police service is not fit for purpose in many ways and so the status quo is not an option. The strategic goals outlined by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and the work done so far point us in the right direction.

Police

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to meet representatives of the four Welsh police forces and police authorities to discuss the proposed merger of police forces in Wales.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 22 May 2006
	I met Welsh Assembly Minister Edwina Hart and the four chief constables of the Welsh forces on 1 June to discuss the proposed merger of police forces in Wales. I will also meet with the police authority chairs shortly.

Police

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he expects the number of police officers on patrol at a given time to be affected if constabularies are combined; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Restructuring of the police service is about strengthening policing and ensuring that all police forces across England and Wales have the required capacity, capability and resilience to provide the most effective policing to the communities they serve. The number of police officers in each strategic force and how they are deployed is a matter for the chief constable concerned.
	We are committed to basic command units including neighbourhood policing being at the centre of the new strategic police forces providing local policing to local communities. The proposed new strategic forces should reduce the likelihood of abstractions of patrol officers to major and high profile investigations.
	We are undertaking to increase the time spent by police officers on front line duties. At the end of 2003-04 63.6 per cent. of police officer time was spent on front-line duties. We have set a target for an overall improvement to 72.5 per cent. by March 2008.

Police

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the work of police witness care units; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Joint police and Crown Prosecution Service Witness Care Units (WCUs) were piloted in 2003 in 5 areas, Gwent, Essex, North Wales, South Yorkshire and the West Midlands. An independent evaluation of these pilots found that witness attendance at court improved by nearly 20 per cent. and that there was an overall increase of six per cent. in victim and witness satisfaction. It also showed that the number of trials which had to be adjourned as a result of witness difficulties decreased by 27 per cent. and that there was a 17 per cent. reduction in 'cracked' trials where the witness withdrew their statement or did not attend. There was a 10 per cent. increase in the number of 'positive' cracked trials where the defendant entered a late guilty plea.
	Building on the success of these pilots, Witness Care Units were rolled out across all 42 criminal justices areas in England and Wales under the No Witness No Justice project. Full coverage was achieved in line with our target of December 2005, with 165 Witness Care Units now in operation.
	Although relatively new, Witness Care Units have already demonstrated their effectiveness. The number of trials that did not go ahead as planned because a witness did not attend was reduced from a national average of 908 in September 2004 to 727 in August 2005, a decrease of almost 20 per cent. In those cases handled by Witness Care Units, the witness attendance rate has increased from 78.5 per cent. in the 3 months before WCUs went live to 84 per cent. in August 2005.
	A sustainability plan for the project is currently being developed which will provide a detailed analysis of the benefits of Witness Care Units, taking into account savings in time for the police, prosecutors and court officials, reductions in cracked and ineffective trials and savings in legal costs.

Police

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the areas that  (a) have and  (b) do not have Witness Care Units; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The Government met their target to have full national coverage of Witness Care Units by the end of 2005. There are now 165 Witness Care Units in operation across every criminal justice area in England and Wales.
	Witness Care Units are a vital part of the Government's drive to improve support for victims and witnesses. Witness Care Units, jointly staffed by the Crown Prosecution Service and the police, have helped to move the criminal justice system from a concept of partnership to a reality, where Government, agencies and practitioners work together to deliver better services for the public.
	It is important that witnesses are valued, kept informed and looked after whether or not they are called upon to attend court. Witness Care Units ensure that witnesses receive a more thoughtful and tailor-made service, with their individual needs considered from the time a statement is first taken by the police. If the case proceeds to court, witnesses will have a single point of contact to keep them up to date on how the case is proceeding, if and when they are required to give evidence and what the final outcome is.

Post-Retirement Employment

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what opportunities exist for people to work beyond retirement age in his Department.

Liam Byrne: In the non-agency Home Office, staff below senior civil service grades currently have the option to retire at any point between the ages of 60 and 65 subject to attendance, performance and disciplinary requirements which are applicable to all staff irrespective of age. A member of staff may ask to remain beyond the age of 65, but permission will normally only be granted on an exceptional basis where there is a particular operational business need.
	Information about staff in the Identity and Passport Service and Her Majesty's Prison Service are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   'Standard' retirement age  May opt to stay until 
			  Non-agency Home Office   
			 Non-SCS staff 60 65 
			
			  Identity and Passport Service   
			 Non-SCS staff 60 65 
			
			  Prison Service   
			 Administrative grades and chaplains 60 65 
			 Industrial grades and operational support grades(1) 60 65 
			 Officer grades (pre-Fresh Start i.e. in post September 1987)(2) (3)55 60 
			 Officer grades (post-Fresh Start i.e. joined after September 1987) 60 60 
			 (1) Staff over 60 are subject to annual reviews of their capability (both health and performance)  (2) Staff wishing to stay over 55 are subject to annual reviews of their capability (both health and performance). (3) Reserved right.

Prison Staff (Bonuses)

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) staff and  (b) governors at each open prison received bonuses in each year since 1999 to 2000; what the cost of such bonuses was at each prison in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Information on special bonuses has only been recorded centrally since September 2000. Obtaining information prior to this date would entail disproportionate cost. Information on the number and total value of bonuses awarded within each Open prison between 1 September and 31 December 2000 is contained in the following table.
	To avoid identifying individuals where the number of bonuses recorded was low, exact figures of less than four are not provided.
	
		
			  Number of bonuses paid to staff and governors at open prisons in England between September and December 2000 
			   Number  Value (£) 
			  Establishment  All staff  All operations managers  All staff  All operations managers 
			 Askham Grange — — — — 
			 East Sutton Park — — — — 
			 Ford — — — — 
			 Grendon/Spring Hill — — — — 
			 Hewell Grange — — — — 
			 Hollesley Bay 1-3 — 1,000 — 
			 Kirkham — — — — 
			 Leyhill — — — — 
			 Moorland Open — — — — 
			 North Sea Camp — — — — 
			 Standford Hill 1-3 1-3 2,000 2,000 
			 Sudbury — — — — 
			 Thorn Cross — — — — 
			 Usk/Prescoed — — — — 
			 Wealstun — — — —

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many inmates there were at  (a) HMP Grendon and  (b) HMP Springhill in each of the last 10 years; and what the level of resourcing was at each in each year;
	(2)  if he will increase the number of places for women in open prisons.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following tables provide information on: the numbers of inmates held in Her Majesty's Prison Grendon and Her Majesty's Prison Spring Hill for each year since 1996, as recorded on the Prison Service IT system; the numbers of staff serving at the prisons, as provided from the Prison Service personnel system; and the cost figures for the prisons for the financial years between 1996-97 and 2004-05, as are available in the published Her Majesty's Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts.
	
		
			  Number of prisoners within Grendon/Spring Hill each year since 1996( 1) 
			   Closed trainer (Grendon)  Open trainer(Spring Hill) 
			 1996 220 198 
			 1997 219 207 
			 1998 221 242 
			 1999 215 242 
			 2000 195 242 
			 2001 202 243 
			 2002 206 245 
			 2003 219 306 
			 2004 224 304 
			 2005 222 304 
			 (1) The figures are the average for January-December for each year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Staff in post for HMP Grendon and Spring Hill (combined) 
			  31 March  SIP  FTE( 1) 
			 1997 311 ? 
			 1998 303 ? 
			 1999 315. 315.0 
			 2000 334 334.0 
			 2001 338 328.5 
			 2002 299 288.5 
			 2003 313 302.5 
			 2004 344 335.3 
			 2005 354 342.4 
			 2006 340 328.4 
			 (1) Full-time equivalent. 
		
	
	
		
			  Annual report and accounts costs for HMP Grendon/Spring Hill 
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Annual cost 
			 1996-97 8,702,300.00 
			 1997-98 8,992,600.00 
			 1998-99 9,486,126.00 
			 1999-2000 10,278,228.00 
			 2000-01 11,066,549.00 
			 2001-02 10,503,600.00 
			 2002-03 11,834,438.00 
			 2003-04 14,095,177.00 
			 2004-05 14,704,902.00

Prisons

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 1212-4W, on Leyhill open prison, how many of the prisoners who have absconded since 1999 have been recaptured; if he will restate the table to show those recaptured by year of abscond and offence; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 25 May 2006
	Available data indicate that since 1999 there have been 393 absconds from Leyhill prison. Of these, 365 prisoners have been recaptured since 1999. Details of these are given in the table. In addition to those recaptured a further four prisoners who were unlawfully at large have died.
	
		
			  Recaptured absconders from open prisons in England 1999-2000 to 2005-06 
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Murder 3 5 2 4 2 4 3 
			 Manslaughter — — — 1 — 1 — 
			 Death by reckless driving 2 — — — — — — 
			 Rape — 1 — — 1 — — 
			 Attempted rape — — — — — — 1 
			 Assault 2 — — 4 5 9 6 
			 Attempted Murder — — — — 1 1 — 
			 Kidnap — — — 1 — 1 — 
			 Attempted kidnap — — — — — — 1 
			 Robbery 4 1 3 3 16 8 14 
			 Attempted robbery — — — — — 1 1 
			 Burglary 12 4 5 13 38 35 18 
			 Drug related offences 1 1 1 1 12 10 6 
			 Arson — 2 — — — — 2 
			 Affray — — — — 1 1 1 
			 Fraud 3 — — — 1 1 — 
			 Driving offences 2 2 1 6 8 5 2 
			 Possession of an offensive weapon — 2 — — 3 1 — 
			 Handling stolen goods 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Holding warrant 1 — — 1 4 3 1 
			 Theft — 3 4 2 6 5 2 
			 Blackmail — — — — — — 1 
			 Breach of order — — — 2 3 — — 
			 Criminal damage — 1 1 — — — — 
			 Violence — — — 1 1 1 — 
			 Illegal Immigrant — — — — — 1 — 
			 Total 31 24 18 40 103 89 60

Prisons

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have absconded from HMP Springhill in each of the last five year, broken down by category of offence; how many such absconders have not yet been apprehended; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Since 1 January 2001, 169 prisoners have absconded from Springhill open prison. 13 prisoners have not yet been apprehended. Details of the absconders and those remaining unlawfully at large are provided in the following tables.
	
		
			  Offence  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Total number of absconds from Springhill prison by calendar year and type of offence 
			 Murder 1 — 2 — 2 
			 Manslaughter 2 — — 1 — 
			 Death by reckless driving — — — 3 — 
			 Escape — — 1 — — 
			 Threats to kill — — 1 — — 
			 Assault(1) — 1 5 4 4 
			 False imprisonment — — 1 — — 
			 Robbery 4 1 15 5 7 
			 Attempted robbery — — — 1 2 
			 Burglary 3 3 17 11 9 
			 Drug related offences — 1 5 5 3 
			 Hijack — — 2 — — 
			 Affray — 1 — — 1 
			 Fraud — — 1 2 1 
			 Driving offences 2 5 8 5 2 
			 Possession of an offensive weapon 2 — — — 2 
			 Handling stolen goods — — 2 — 2 
			 Wounding — — 1 — — 
			 Theft — 1 4 1 — 
			 Breach of Order — — 1 1 — 
			 Violence — — — — 1 
			 Debts — — — — 1 
			 Total 14 13 66 39 37 
			 (1 )Including actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm and other types of assault. 
		
	
	
		
			  Total number of absconds from Springhill prison, who has not yet been apprehended, by calendar year and type of offence 
			  Offence  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Death by reckless driving — — — 2 — 
			 Robbery — — — — 2 
			 Burglary — — 1 — — 
			 Possession of an offensive weapon 1 — — — 1 
			 Drug related offences — — — 2 — 
			 Fraud — — — 2 — 
			 Driving offence 2 — — — — 
			 Total 3 0 1 6 3

Prisons

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have absconded from Ford prison since 21 May; how many were  (a) awaiting deportation and  (b) being considered for deportation; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Six prisoners, all foreign nationals, have absconded from Ford open prison since 21 May 2006. Of these two were being considered for deportation and four had been notified to IND but no decision had been reached on enforcement proceedings.

Prisons

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners are being held in Ford prison; and how many of them are  (a) awaiting deportation and  (b) being considered for deportation.

Gerry Sutcliffe: None. All foreign national prisoners were removed from Ford prison on 26 May 2006 and returned to closed conditions where they will be subject to full and rigorous risk assessment before any decision is made on the level of security they require.

Prisons

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to review the risk assessment procedures for prisoners who are awaiting deportation, or being considered for deportation, before they are accepted to open prisons.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Following a review of the criteria for the categorisation of foreign national prisoners and their allocation to open conditions in May, the Prison Service concluded that no changes were required of the policy. However, governors have been instructed to take into account recent public statements made by Ministers, including the Prime Minister, regarding the likelihood of deportation when considering foreign national prisoners for category D status and allocation to open conditions. The overriding purpose of the security classification must be to ensure that prisoners are retained in custody with a level of security that is consistent with the need to protect the public.

Probation Service

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders were placed under supervision of the probation service by the courts in 2005-06.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The latest available information shows that some 137,624 offenders started court order supervision by the probation service in the year from 1 October 2004 to 30 September 2005.

Promotion Boards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what promotion boards have been held in his Department in each of the last five years.

Liam Byrne: Annual promotion boards have not been held in the Home Office since 2000.

Prosecutions (Northern Ireland)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of cases brought for prosecution by the Public Prosecution Service in Northern Ireland resulted in conviction in each of the last 10 years.

Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
	The Public Prosecution Service, which when fully rolled out will be responsible for all prosecutions arising from police investigations, only came into existence in June 2005. Prior to that date, the Department of the Director of Public Prosecutions was only responsible for the conduct of the more serious criminal cases and the bulk of prosecutions in the magistrates court were conducted by the police. The police continue to conduct prosecutions in the magistrates court in those areas not yet covered by the PPS. The figures provided in the tables reflect, therefore, only those cases conducted by the PPS or the old Department of the DPP.
	Figures are only available for the past five years following the introduction of a Case Management System.
	The figures for the magistrates court are:
	
		
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Convicted (on at least one count) 3,453 3,763 4,428 7,316 10,544 
			 Acquitted (all counts) 249 227 237 391 317 
			 Total 3,702 3,990 4,665 7,707 10,861 
			 Percentage conviction rate 93.3 94.3 94.9 94.9 97.1 
		
	
	The figures for the Crown court are:
	
		
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Convicted (on at least one count) 794 1,125 1,257 1,398 1,307 
			 Acquitted (all counts) 94 139 162 177 176 
			 Total 888 1,264 1,419 1,575 1,483 
			 Percentage conviction rate 89.4 89.0 88.6 88.8 88.1

Road Traffic Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Parliamentary Advisory Committee on Transportation Safety on  (a) the enforcement of and  (b) other issues connected with sections (i) 14 and (ii) 15 of the Road Traffic Act 1988; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: My officials are in regular contact with the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety and discuss a range of roads policing issues. The wearing of seat belts has not however featured specifically in recent discussions. The enforcement of requirements as to the wearing of seat belts is an operational matter for the police.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets he plans to set the Serious Organised Crime Agency for tackling fraud.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Secretary's letter setting priorities for the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in its first year of operation has been laid before Parliament. The priorities set out there include tackling organised crime threats from fraud against individuals and the private sector. The SOCA Board has subsequently determined that approximately 10 per cent. of its overall effort should be devoted to fraud.
	The Home Secretary has set a broad performance framework for SOCA within which its performance will be judged on its ability to contribute to the reduction of the harm caused to the UK by serious crime. The measures on which SOCA will be judged will include the quality of its knowledge and understanding of the crime networks and markets in its priority areas, and the dislocation that it is achieving in respect of those networks and markets.

Student Visas

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign students from  (a) Nigeria,  (b) Pakistan,  (c) Ghana and  (d) Bangladesh remain in the UK having outstayed their student visa.

Liam Byrne: This information is not available.

Terror Suspects

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of whether foreign national terror suspects are on the electoral roll fraudulently.

Liam Byrne: I am advised that we have no specific intelligence that foreign terror suspects are fraudulently registering as electors.
	If the hon. Member has particular information relating to this practice he should pass it to the appropriate authorities.

Terrorist Attacks (Compensation)

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much compensation has been allocated to people affected by terrorist attacks in the UK in the last 24 months.

Tony McNulty: Compensation for people injured in terrorist attacks in Great Britain is paid from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. There is a separate, broadly similar scheme in Northern Ireland for people injured there.
	The compensation provision available to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority for incidents occurring in Great Britain was augmented by £5 million in 2005-06 to cover the extra costs of compensation arising from the 7/7 bombings. A further £2.5 million is being provided in the current financial year for the victims of the 7/7 bombings outside the terms of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
	Payments made to victims of terrorist incidents occurring in the last 24 months total £2.12 million to date. These payments are all in respect of the London bombings.
	Other payments made in the last 24 months in respect of all previous terrorist incidents total £1.06 million. These payments relate to the London (Soho) bombing of 1999 and the Manchester bombing of 1996, and include both final awards and interim awards.
	The Government also contributed £1 million to the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund, which has made payments totalling around £8 million to victims of the London bombings.

Trafficking Convention

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made towards the Government being in a position to sign the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

Vernon Coaker: We have been looking into the various provisions contained in the Council of Europe Convention on trafficking and have been gathering evidence from our European partners about best practice in member states, the impact of provision of support for the victims of trafficking and any impact that provisions including recovery and reflection periods have had.
	We are also engaging actively with the key non-governmental organisations and others working in the field of human trafficking to ensure that we explore thoroughly with them the potential benefits and disadvantages of the approach set out in the Convention.
	We launched a public consultation on our strategy to combat trafficking in human beings 5 January 2006 this has now closed. We anticipate developing an action plan which takes a comprehensive end-to-end approach covering the different elements of our anti-trafficking strategy. The consultation document asked for views on whether the UK should sign up to the Convention these will be considered in our decision. A summary of responses from the consultation will be published on 21 June.

Under-age Drinking

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he proposes to take to eliminate  (a) under-age drinking and  (b) the use of false identification documents by under-aged youths to purchase alcohol.

Tony McNulty: The Government are determined to tackle sales of alcohol to under-18s. Enforcement of the law takes place on a daily basis through test-purchase operations carried out by Police and Trading Standards officers. In addition to this regular activity, the fourth national Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign (AMEC 4) is currently under way. Part of this includes the provision of extra funding for up to 5,000 test-purchase operations during the four-week period of the campaign. Those who sell to under-18s risk a £80 fixed penalty notice, or prosecution. Licensees selling to under 18s additionally risk having their licence reviewed and conditions applied, or even having their license revoked.
	The Violent Crime Reduction Bill currently before Parliament establishes a new offence of persistently selling alcohol to under-18s. If three sales are made in three consecutive months, the new offence will be committed, and the licensee risks a fine of £10,000 and having their licence suspended for 3 months. The police can offer the licensee the option of avoiding prosecution by closing their premises for 48 hours.
	In addition to enforcement activity, Ministers and officials from the Home Office and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport are working very closely with the licensed industry, and have secured commitments from both the off-licensed sector and the on-licensed sector to seek to eliminate sales of alcohol to children. Progress against these commitments will be monitored closely through test-purchase failure rates.
	The Government are aware of the problems faced by young people when wishing to prove their age or purchase age-restricted products, also by retailers when requesting proof of identity. Consequently, the Government are working with the British Retail Consortium's Proof of Age Standards Scheme (PASS) which validates the variety of proof of age card schemes available. This allows card schemes to apply for accreditation under PASS and entitles them to issue cards displaying the PASS holographic logo. This is easily recognisable both to retailers and young people and helps them know that they have a proof of age document which should be accepted. The logo is trademark registered, making it an offence to forge. In the longer term, the identity card can be used as proof of age as well as proof of identity, however, this is a few years away from introduction.

Volunteers Return Scheme

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of foreign nationals given financial or practical assistance under the volunteers return scheme who have not yet left the UK.

Liam Byrne: Reintegration assistance payable under the voluntary returns programmes is only payable to returnees on return to their country of origin. The International Organization of Migration (IOM) provides returnees with counselling and information in the UK, coach transport to Heathrow airport, IOM representation and assistance to the departure gate.
	Under the enhanced VARRP programme, returnees also receive a £500 resettlement grant at the departure airport.

Work Permits

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether NHS trusts will be able to remove from shortlists doctors who require work permits but who had already been selected for interview before the new regulations came into force.

Liam Byrne: The changes to the Immigration Rules for Postgraduate Doctors and Dentists were announced by the Department of Health on 7 March 2006. We put transitional arrangements in place for those who had been offered a recognised training post before this date and which commences before 4 August 2006.
	Those offered a post on or after 7 March 2006 would not be covered by these transitional arrangements, and the employer would need to show why they could not fill their post with a resident worker in order to be granted a work permit for a non-EEA national.
	The new Rules came into effect on 3 April 2006. Before this date, those meeting the old Rules would still have been eligible for leave as a Postgraduate Doctor or Dentist.
	The full transitional arrangements are available on the IND website at www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk.